The Current-Sat Plus: TikTok ban, Taylor Swift vs. AI, photo storage pro tips โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ In partnership with Incogni | A bright and shiny tech Saturday to you, friend! Letโs start things off with a little snooping-related trivia. What percentage of Americans admit to routinely spying on their partnerโs phone and checking their text messages? Make your best guess โ the answerโs at the end! Get your info off the internet. Incogni at PrivacyKim.com contacts all the data brokers and people0search sites and tells them to remove your personal data. No more Kim Komando listed at 212 data-broker and people-search sites. Sweet. Use my link to get 60% off! Youโll be glad you did. On to todayโs helpful tips! โ Kim ๐ซ First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itโs free!) IN THIS ISSUE ๐คณ Waste of space โ ๏ธ FBI: Chinese hackers are preparing ๐ค Taylor Swift AI rumors |
TODAY'S TECH HACK Quick fix: Smartphone photo hack Fun fact: Whenever Iโm watching a show with Barry that Iโm not very into (ahem, like โFranklinโ โฆ so boring), I open up my photo app and start deleting. Itโs my time for a little digital cleanup. Itโs not just junk filling up your storage. High-res photos look stunning, but they eat up a ton of space on your phone. If you want to scale it back a bit, I've got some tips. You can thank me later because youโll likely never see that annoying "Storage full" notification again. There isn't a direct setting within the Camera app for iPhones to lower the resolution. But you've got a couple of workarounds: Use a different app: You can download third-party camera apps from the App Store to set the photo resolution manually. Camera+ or ProCamera are both good options. Post-capture editing: After taking the photo, reduce its resolution. Simply open the picture, select Edit and crop the image slightly. This will reduce the file size. There are also apps for batch-resizing photos, like Image Size or Resize. Email it to yourself: I know it sounds archaic, but it works. When you attach a photo in the Mail app and try to send it, you'll be prompted to select a smaller file size. For Android, the steps vary by device and camera app. Here's the general process: Camera settings: Open the Camera app, go to Settings (usually a gear icon), and look for an option related to picture size, resolution or aspect ratio. Here, you can select a lower resolution. Third-party apps: Similar to iPhones, third-party camera apps like Open Camera let you choose the resolution before taking a picture. Post-capture: Use photo-editing apps to lower the resolution after you've snapped your pic. Android usually has built-in options for this, but apps like Pixlr can also help. Whether you're Team iPhone or Team Android, lowering your photo resolution is totally doable. Your storage will thank you! ๐๏ธ I used to shoot pics on a film camera, but then I switched to a DSLR camera, and now, itโs just my phone. Iโm trying to think of the downsides, but there are just no negatives. |
Finally stop spam texts If youโre tired of spam calls, unwanted emails and that nasty feeling of always being tracked, this is for you. Each month, spammers send out around 19.2 billion texts. That's every person in the U.S. receiving 19 spammy texts. Ever wonder where they get your info to begin with? Your info can change hands for just a few bucks. Scammers are all over that โ but theyโre not the only ones. Data brokers sell your address, phone number, Social Security number, family contacts โ you name it โ to anyone willing to pay. And yes, itโs all legal as long they give you a way to opt out. Hereโs the trick: They make the opt-out process as difficult as possible. Do what I did and try Incogni. You create an account, then they scrub your personal info from the web. No joke, my spam calls and texts are down to zero. Remove your data from over 180 data brokers' and people-search sites automatically with Incogni. โ |
WEB WATERCOOLER ๐จ FBI Chinese hacker warning: The FBI warns Chinese hackers are gearing up for a massive attack against our U.S. infrastructure. Under the โVolt Typhoonโ mission, these hackers have already infiltrated our telecom, energy and water sectors in an attempt to wreak havoc and induce panic. Now, theyโre just waiting for โthe right momentโ to strike big time. Get this: For every cybersecurity pro the FBI has, there are at least 50 Chinese hackers. Have a just-in-case plan. Itโs important. Take two: This weekend, the House will vote on a revised bill that could ban Communist China app TikTok. The updated terms give owner ByteDance a year to sell โ double the original six months โ to sway fence-sitters in the Senate. ๐ค AI scapegoat: Taylor Swift's new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," was leaked to Google Drive two days early. Swifties were quick to call it an AI deepfake (paywall link). Surprise, the leak was real. Swifties did get a consolation prize: 15 additional songs. Share this with your favorite Swiftie. Hacking on a budget: For $20, criminals buy ransomware tools on the dark web. Their target? Smaller companies and individuals โ those least likely to have the resources to defend themselves. Unlike โransomware-as-a-service,โ which forces hackers to share profits, these tools have no strings attached. If youโre a small-business owner, beef up your cybersecurity. ๐ Banned baller: Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a lifetime NBA ban for sports betting. The league started investigating after the Raptorsโ March 20 game, in which Porter played for just three minutes and then left, saying he felt โsick.โ It was all part of an $80,000 prop bet that heโd underperform. |
LISTEN UP | SWAT team raids Kim's house Plus, Madeline Smith, with over 1,000 cheaters caught online, shares her insights on spotting an unfaithful spouse. Kim and Andrew also cover NASA's call for four volunteers for a Mars simulator and demystify some Gen Z slang. Play Now โข 52:44 โถ |
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TECH LIFE UPGRADES Get help for your business: Forget sorting through tons of resumes. I use prescreening questions to qualify applicants. Talk about a timesaver! Get one free job posting now using my link at LinkedIn.com/kim.* Skip the cropped group pic or obvious selfie: For professional photos, go with a slight smile over your biggest grin. Pro tip: Blur the background so the person viewing your profile can focus on your face. If your phone has Portrait mode, use it! Keep it simple: Ever seen one of those memes where someone's microphone caught all the things they said after they meant to send a text? Don't be that person. When you're ready to send, just say, "Send." โSeeโ you on the radio: My national radio show is airing all weekend across the USA. With over 420 stations strong, find your closest one using our super-duper station locator map โ or listen commercial-free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or in the Komando Community. Canโt peel yourself off the couch? Amazon Prime members, get a year of Grubhub+ for free and skip the food delivery fees. Go to amazon.com/grubhub, hit Activate Grubhub+, and sign in or make an account. After your first year, itโs $10 a month, so set a reminder to cancel. Tell me more: The ProductFrom website is the perfect match if you ever wonder, โHow do I know if a product is from China?โ or โWhere did this come from?โ There are 112,000 products in their database, so thereโs a good chance youโll find what youโre looking for. |
DEALS OF THE DAY Summer sandals for everyone Comfortable, cooling and coolโish footwear for kicking around the yard, beach and beyond. Arizona dupes: If you like the look of Birkenstocks but not the price, these faux leather versions by Cushionaire are 40% off ($29.99) and come in lots of good colors. These are so in right now for men and women. Slip in and slide: Swap out your regular Crocs for summer Crocs. These unisex slides are so comfy and up to 41% off ($20.64). Walking on clouds: Pillow slippers look silly until you put them on, and then thereโs nothing funny about them. Heaven. These unisex slides are 15% off ($20.38). Fellasโ fancy flops: Add some khakis and a collared shirt to these faux leather flip-flops, and youโre dressed for dinner. Right now, snag a pair for 30% off ($13.99). Ladiesโ fancy flops: Cute Birkenstock-esque womenโs thongs in faux leather with an adjustable buckle. Choose from five colors (love the light gray). Theyโre all 25% off ($22.49). Hey there, dude: Andrew Babinski loves his HEYDUDE shoes. Iโm not a fan, but Iโve heard from both men and women that these shoes are super comfy. ๐ก Pro tip: Sometimes, Amazonโs pricing can vary by size โ rude! If you find your size is more expensive, click through other available colors to find a lower price. |
WHAT THE TECH? People are going crazy over this photo, but itโs fake. |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... The answer: 51% of Americans admit to spying on their partnerโs phone. Oof, thatโs a whole lot of snooping. I get calls on my show all the time from people worried their phones are spying on them. I mean, come on โฆ even your vacuum cleaner has been collecting dirt on you for years. โ
Before you go, check out Incogni at PrivacyKim.com. Since I signed up, my spam calls and texts are down to zero, zilch, nada. Iโll see you right back here tomorrow with intel on some seriously shady dollar stores โ and ways to actually save money on what you need. Until then, remain spectacular! โ Kim |
Komando Referral Program Share this newsletter โ Earn prizes! Step 1: Copy your unique referral link: https://join.komando.com/8818309c/ Step 2: Share your link! Post it on social media, send it in a text or paste it into an email to a pal. If they sign up using that link, you get the credit!
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