It’s another tech Tuesday, friend. AI is now “smart” enough to pass the online tests that confirm whether it’s a human or robot clicking. That brings me to trivia. Which of these words isn’t part of the CAPTCHA acronym? Is it … A.) Completely, B.) Automated, C.) Turing or D.) Hackers? This is a hard one. You’ll find the answer at the end!

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All that drive space that comes with your computer, phone or tablet can quickly fill up, especially if you're a movie fan, gamer or just have a lot of photos to store. The quick and easy fix? Pick up an external drive.

You can use these drives for backups, too. If a disaster strikes your laptop — it gets lost, looted or breaks down — you'll be glad to have copies of your important data somewhere safe.

How to pick the best drive

The most important spec is storage space. I’ll keep it simple: Buy as much space as you can afford.

Then, determine whether you need a solid-state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD). HDDs use older and slower tech but give you a whole lot of bang for your buck. If you need to store a lot of files but don't need to access or edit them often, HDD is the way to go. Otherwise, SSD is best for your needs, since it has much faster data read/write speeds.

The picks below are all compatible with PCs, Macs, Android devices, gaming consoles and others:

💰 Budget: The $79.99 SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500GB (11% off) gives you plenty of space in a stylishly compact, hard shell you can take anywhere. The $59.99 WD Elements Portable HDD 1TB gives you even more room. Both brands are super-reliable when it comes to keeping your data safe and sound. (I’m astounded you can pick up 1TB for $60! I remember when that was $500 in 2007.)

💰💰 Midrange: With the $129.99 Seagate Portable HDD 5TB, you’ll get a massive amount of storage in a compact form for not much money at all. The $169.99 Samsung T7 Portable SSD 2TB (37% off) gives you less room for more money, but it does have the benefit of SSD, so it's incredibly fast — and about the size of a deck of cards.

💰💰💰 Premium: The $295 Samsung T7 Shield SSD 4TB (44% off!) is ultra-fast and can handle dust, water and drops better than almost all other drives — it's the ultimate in external drives, really. The $254.99 WD Elements HDD 16TB (14% off) is big and chunky by comparison and needs a separate power cable, but it still gives you a massive amount of space for all your files.

How to look after your drive

External drives don't need much in the way of maintenance. Once they're set up, you can generally leave them be. With that said, there are ways to make sure your drive has a long (and healthy!) life:

What about cloud backups?

You absolutely should have those, too. Chances are you're already using a service like Amazon Photos, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Apple iCloud to store your files. While it's great to have local storage for quick and easy access, cloud backups provide an extra layer of security. Paying for cloud storage makes sense for keeping your important files safe.

🙄 That reminds me of a really bad hard drive joke: Hard drives don’t have the patience for sit-down meals at restaurants; they prefer quick bytes. You can have that one for free.

AI is changing the game, and small to large businesses are transforming at lightning speed. But here's the good news: It's not too late to get in on the action and take your business to the next level. That’s where Oracle comes in.

You know AI is the future — now’s your chance to test-drive it with Oracle. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

🚨 Gmail scam spreading: This is frightening. Watch out for fake Gmail account recovery request notifications that look like the real deal. Hackers try to convince you to sign in through a phony login page, where they can then capture your password. Ignore or decline the request and they'll follow up with an AI-generated Google support call in which the caller claims someone has accessed your account and stolen your data. Ignore that, too. Pass this on so everyone knows this is happening.

A long road ahead: An Arkansas father faces first-degree murder charges after shooting a man he found with his missing 14-year-old daughter — a 60-something former Indiana police chief with a history of internet stalking and sexual assault against minors. Dad is now out on bail and raising money for his legal defense.

Apple’s Vision Pro won’t be around much longer: In September, only 10 new apps dropped for the Vision Pro. It’s a classic chicken-and-egg problem (paywall link). Developers don’t see enough customers, and people aren’t excited to spend $3,500 on an AR headset without much content.

🖼️ Google Image results are flooded with AI-generated pics: Case in point: Baby peacock images that look nothing like the real thing popping up alongside genuine photos. It’s going to take a while for Google to label AI images in its search results. Until then, don’t believe everything you see.

⚠️ Use Windows Enterprise software? There’s a critical vulnerability rated 9.8 out of 10 (really bad) in Microsoft Configuration Manager. CVE‑2024‑43468 is extremely dangerous, allowing hackers to remotely take control of your system and network. You can't fix this with a normal patch; it requires an in-console update inside the Configuration Manager. Full steps here.

🚀 Touchdown complete: SpaceX nailed the upright landing of one of its massive Starship rockets. As it fell from the sky, thrusters slowed it down before it was caught by two "chopstick" arms attached to a giant metal tower. Why’s this a big deal? It’s a step toward reusable rockets. The video is incredible.

How did he think this would work? A woman got a disturbing text after a guy saw her phone number on her luggage tag. "I saw you and thought you were so beautiful, so I had to find a way to talk to you." Even worse, he might know where she lives since her address was also on the tag. Tip: Use luggage tags with covers.

🦉 Owl that talent: A 10-year-old boy has racked up millions of views online for his spot-on bird calls. At a school talent show, he hooted like a great horned owl, honked like a Canada goose and gobbled like a wild turkey. He’s so good that he can fool bird ID apps! It’s no surprise when he grows up, he wants to be an ornithologist (bird expert). Isn’t that amazing?

Here are some things I wish I would’ve invented:

Superior sorting: Gmail on the web auto-sorts your emails into tabs like “Social” and “Promotions.” But what if Google gets it wrong? Drag a message into a different tab, and Gmail will remember your choice for that sender next time. Pro tip: Drag my email into Primary so you always see it front and center!

🔍 Looking for a file? On a PC, hit the Windows key and start typing its name. That’s it. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar and type away. This shortcut saves so much time!

Money move: Sign up for text and email alerts from your bank. Yes, it’s a bit annoying to approve purchases, but this has notified me a few times someone got their hands on my card. In your banking app, go into Settings and look for Alerts or Notifications. Smart move, for sure.

Keep it secret: Apple iOS 18 lets you lock any app behind a Face ID test — perfect for keeping friends and family out of your private apps if they grab your phone. Tap and hold on the app icon on your home screen, then choose Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID on older models).

🫧 Don’t burst my bubble: On Android, you can use “Bubbles” to keep a conversation floating on your home screen. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Notifications > Additional Settings and look for Bubbles. Now you can customize which convos, if any, pop up.

Argh. A good ol’ restart of both the computer and the printer usually works.

The answer: D.) Hackers. The acronym CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.” CAPTCHHA just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

❓ Kevin in Wayne, New Jersey, asked me for real ways to make money at home. Check out this list. Oh, and here’s a good one to send to a friend. Just don’t tell ‘em you got it from me, OK?

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👋 And on that note, when you need my help, drop me a message here. I hope you learned a thing or two, and I’ll see you right back here tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. Until then, stay your amazing self! — Kim