I’ve got that Friday feelin’, friend! This week way back in 1971, Intel launched, and today, their processors power more than half the computers around. Was their very first processor used in … A.) Televisions, B.) Traffic lights, C.) Digital watches or D.) Calculators? You’ll find the answer, as always, at the end of this newsletter.

✈️ Win a $1,000 gift card to your favorite airline! I’m giving it away right now at WinFromKim.com. Good luck and tell your family and friends to enter to win, too! Now, on to the tech smarts so you’re not left in the dust! — Kim

Physical media like VHS tapes aren’t the only tech with an expiration date. Your digital files can get outdated, too. If you don’t want your precious photos, videos and documents to go the way of the dodo, look out for them before it’s too late.

You’re probably thinking, “Ugh, Kim! I know it’s important, but I’ll do it later!” But you’ll forget. Schedule a time on your calendar to get this done before the end of the summer. I believe in you!

What’s in danger?

File formats from the early 2000s, like those used by Adobe Flash (SWF, FLV, F4V) and WordPerfect (WPD), or outdated video file types (WMV, AVI, M4V), all are at risk. You may also have trouble sharing MOV or ASF files across devices.

When in doubt, you’ll want to convert to the most common file formats. Think DOCX, PDF, MP4 and JPEG. I have a great how-to on my site.

Now, I know a lot of you have WPD files from the old WordPerfect word processor. Here’s how to convert them quickly and easily:

Presto! You’ll get a download link for a future-proofed PDF file.

Back up to the cloud

For videos, YouTube lets you upload unlimited private videos to your channel for free. Even better, it’s YouTube’s responsibility to keep them up to date.

Keep your files organized

A little cleanup goes a long way. Start with your oldest files to see what you’re dealing with.

In File Explorer on Windows:

If you’re Team Mac, you can search for old files in Finder:

⌛ There are entire organizations dedicated to preserving digital history. Internet Archive is totally worth a visit. Look! Here I am teaching computer basics back in 1993. Nice hair, right? I’m such an overnight success!

The days of easy virus detection are long gone. It’s not about sticking to “safe” sites anymore — malware can even pop up at the top of your Google search results. That’s why you need a trusted antivirus solution on your side.

I’m not talking about free options you can find in the app store, by the way. At best, they aren’t good enough to keep up with today’s threats. At worst, they’re stealing your info or even planting malicious software.

I use and trust TotalAV. You get total protection on five devices — and it’s only $1.59 a month for the first year. Amazing deal that I negotiated just for you!

Careful what you read: There’s a lot of fake news circulating about former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, including a message posted to gaming platform Steam that appears to be phony. What researchers have found are Crooks’ laptop searches in July for President Biden, Trump and the DNC convention. No definitive word yet on his political views or motive.

✈️ You can opt out of airport facial recognition scans: Stand away from the camera, present your ID and say something like, “I opt out of biometrics. I want the standard verification process.” It could save you from a data breach or misidentification as a criminal suspect. Both have happened.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a cop! Police in California used a drone to nab a burglar near the Santa Monica Pier. The little guy spotted a car thief using a screwdriver to punch open locks in a parking lot, and it called in officers and directed them to the exact location. Here’s the video.

Some 51% of people think sharing their smartphone PIN with a partner is normal and healthy. Checking internet search histories and tracking a partner’s location are a different story; 74% of those surveyed think location tracking is toxic, and that percentage jumps to 95% if the location tracking is done without the other party’s knowledge.

Use Windows 11? Later this year, Microsoft will introduce “checkpoint cumulative updates.” Versions with significant changes will be checkpoint updates; security fixes and new features will be patches. The goal? To save hard drive space and time.

📚 Parenting win: Swap videos for audiobooks. Audiobooks encourage kids to visualize stories, in effect training their voluntary imagination, improving their problem-solving skills, boosting their attention spans and listening skills, and enhancing their vocabularies.

RIP, tax dollars: NASA scrapped a moon rover that cost $450 million to build. The VIPER had already been developed to explore the southern part of the moon, but further testing was deemed too expensive.

😎 Want to hang out? Stop by my YouTube channel today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) for some laughs with me and Andrew. No prob if you’re busy then; hit that link and watch it later on your schedule.

MacBook battery widget: It'll regularly remind you how much juice is left in your laptop. On your Mac, click the date and time in the top right corner. In the notification center pop-up, click Edit Widgets at the bottom. Search for “batteries” and pick your favorite options.

Windows upgrade: Setting up multiple desktops means you can keep life, work, vacation and your hobbies separate. To make them easy to navigate, customize each. Now you know blue is work, yellow is home and orange is for DIY projects.

Stop using your Google profile this way: Logging into other services through Google 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. Open the details, then click Stop using Sign in with Google.

Forget the rice: If your phone gets wet, turn it off immediately to prevent a short circuit. Remove the cover, wipe down the phone, and then let it air dry in a cool place. Keep it upright with the ports facing downward to let any remaining water drain. The hardest part? Waiting at least 24 hours to turn it back on.

Small-biz smarts: When you have contracts with different companies and vendors, you’ll never remember those dates. Create a shared work calendar that gives everyone who needs it notice when a contract is renewing. Pro tip: Build in time in case you have a 30- or 90-day out.

Given how often smartwatches save lives, you need one. They can spot health issues and contact emergency services if there’s a fall or accident. Bonus: They’re all on sale right now.

🤣 Having a smartwatch is great. On one hand, you have something you can use to answer calls; on the other hand, you don't.

The answer: D.) Calculators. The 4004 was one of the smallest microprocessor designs ever commercially produced. It sold for $60.

Speaking of, graphing calculators cannot be trusted. They’re plotting something … I can feel it.

🌀 That’s a wrap on another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. Tomorrow, I’ve got a tech tip coming that could help you find out you’ve been hacked before something truly bad happens. You don’t want to miss it. — Kim