Happy Thursday, friend! A few weeks ago, author and Austinite Nick Gray had the crazy idea to combine a blind date with a vacation — his treat. He went viral when he posted his proposal on X, and over 400 women applied. Where did he take the lucky lady: A.) Rome, B.) Tokyo, C.) Las Vegas or D.) Sydney? Answer’s at the end!

😡 Look! I’m spam again! It drives me bonkers. This newsletter is going right to spam for some of you, especially with Gmail. If this happens to you, at the top of today’s newsletter, click the button that says “Not spam” or something similar. It helps tell Big Tech you trust me! Thanks for your help. — Kim

I looked through my Amazon purchase history the other day, and it’s full of cool things under $10 that truly make my life better. Here are 15 li’l helpers I think you’ll like, too:

Bye, drips: Car coasters ($3.99, 32% off two) keep your cupholders free of condensation and gross, sticky stuff.

Scrapin’ by: Burnt rice at the bottom of the pan is no match for this scraper ($8.99, 25% off a set of four).

Defuzz your stuff: If your couch cushions, sweaters and jammies are pilling, this little fabric shaver ($8.50, 35% off) will clean ‘em right up.

When ya gotta go: A much nicer bathroom scent ($5.99) than the default.

Pink paste: It’s no wonder this pink tub of cleaning goop ($5.29) is a bestseller — it works on practically any mess and lasts forever.

Open sesame oil: A 5-in-1 opener ($9.99, 17% off) for jars that won’t budge.

Face it: Keep this facial roller ($5.99, 53% off) in the freezer, and come morning, it’ll depuff your face and wake you up.

Buzz drill: Add these brushes ($6.26, 10% off) to your drill to create a next-level cleaning machine for your grout or tub.

MTWTF: A weekly pillcase ($6.98) big enough to fit your fish oil capsules.

Hair to bare: Nothing beats these little razors ($7.19, 20% off) for getting the fuzzies off your face.

Lay, spoon-y, lay: Keep your counters spick and span with this multispoon rest ($8.99).

Steam heat: Easy-peasy way to clean the microwave ($7.58, 14% off). I like the blonde one!

Rolling right along: This small silicone tube is the best way to peel a garlic clove. No more smelly fingers!

We can do it: This little tool ($7.19, 28% off) is the easiest way to put on your own bracelet.

And none since: I wish I’d bought oven rack guards ($7.98, 20% off) sooner — I’ve got the burns on my wrist to prove it, ugh.

🫘 OK, spill the beans. What’s the best cheap, useful thing you’ve bought lately? Reply to this email to share a link with me, and I might put it in a future newsletter!

🚨 Mac attack: A new macOS malware called "Cuckoo" is targeting older Intel-based Macs and newer models with Apple chips. It steals passwords and takes over your system. It’s spreading via websites and apps that convert streaming music into MP3s. Stay safe: Use TotalAV* to protect your tech — it’s just $19 for a year.

Tanks a lot: A Florida man is spending six-and-a-half years in prison after making $100 million selling phony Cisco gear for classified systems used by the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy. Most of these devices were sold on Amazon and eBay. Yup, our military bought fake gear on eBay.

🔍 I’m no lawyer, but …: Docs in a lawsuit against OpenAI show the company destroyed two massive datasets used to train its GPT‑3 AI model. The Authors Guild (paywall link) says they likely contained thousands of copyrighted books. Oh, and the “researchers” responsible for creating the datasets no longer work there. How convenient.

Is LinkedIn the new love connection? Relationship counselors say it gives you a more authentic look into someone's life, work and social contacts. The real trick is figuring out when to take things offline. But heck, at least you know they have a job.

📧 Check your inbox: If you’ve ever used the mental health platform BetterHelp, you may be one of the 800,000 folks now eligible for part of a $7.8 million settlement. To check, search for an email from "Ankura Consulting Group.” The FTC says BetterHelp shared consumer health data with third parties for advertising. Questions? Email [email protected].

🎹 The best players are on the bench: MIT researchers created "smart gloves" that help you play the piano. Using haptic technology, they recorded an actual pianist's hand movements and then passed those to a student through a glove’s fingertip vibrations. There’s still hope I might be able to play piano one day.

Ad-ception: Next time you open Amazon Prime Video, brace yourself for ads when you hit pause — even when you’re already watching a commercial. These "shoppable carousels" show up as a sliding lineup of products. You can turn them off … for an extra $3 per month. Jeff Bezos needs the money.

Guilty as charged: A North Carolina woman left her credit card at a restaurant. Now, she’s fighting $2,000 in bogus charges after a restaurant employee shared photos of the credit card’s front and back on Facebook. The employee was trying to find her. What a dope.

Turn your vinyl into digital: It’s a nice way to preserve your vintage music collection. You’ll need a USB turntable. Not super cheap, but neither were all those records … For the record, a person born in ‘33 was 45 in ‘78.

Use less ink: Not every site has a “print” button that strips out all the sidebars and ads. Drop a URL into PrintFriendly.com. Adjust the photo size at the top or click on any photos to remove. You’ll get a clean, print-ready PDF.

More battery in a hurry: You need to leave in 15 minutes and your phone battery is hovering around 3%. Plug it in, put your phone into Airplane mode and give it as much time as you can. Shutting off extra processes means your phone can focus on charging … kinda like that third glass of wine.

Privacy helper: The ObscuraCam app blurs out faces and strips photo metadata — like when and where you took a pic. It’s for Android devices only, but I’ve got a column coming your way soon with more ways to do this on any device.

Every small biz needs to do this: You can add up to five links to your Instagram bio. Just log in and enter your account settings. Choose Edit profile (top left corner, under your pic), then Add link. While you’re there, add me!

They spent hours pre‑hair‑ing for this photo!

The answer: B.) Tokyo. Nick and his date (chosen from the X applicants!) met for the first time at the airport. Their holi‑date was a huge success, and Nick posted about it all on his blog, of course. He’s coy about the future, but I’ve gotta say this classic story of boy-meets-girl-on-the-internet (no apps) touched my heart.

🇯🇵 Speaking of Japan, in case you missed it, here’s a video about my recent trip to Japan! I went to Tokyo and, for all you anagram lovers, Kyoto, too.

☀️ Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you back here again tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA. I’ve got a hot topic you don’t want to miss: The smartest way to cool down your house and save money this summer. Until then, smile because you're part of the Komando Krew! — Kim