Friday is here, friend! And so am I. Trivia to kick things off. Six space tourists took the 11-minute jaunt to the edge of space last week with Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin. In total, how many tourists have now boldly gone to space? Is it … A.) 25, B.) 69, C.) 82 or D.) 102? Answer’s at the end.

😎 Grab your headphones. I put together a fun summer playlist. It’s my take on yacht rock — all those fun summer jams everyone will sing along to. Hit “Play,” and it will run in the background. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re there so you never miss one of my vids! Time for our tech party. — Kim

If you’re sitting on a pile of cash sipping mai tais in Bora Bora right now, congratulations (and where’s my invite?). For the rest of us, making a little extra money never hurts.

People ask me all the time for an easy way to rake in the dough. Do those exist? Yes and no. Creative side hustles are sexy but not a sure bet: A recent survey of 1,000 creators shows 55% of full-time employees make money on their side hustle in the first year. But 54% of them made under $10,000.

Lucky for you, I found a low-risk way to test drive the creator life, plus four other practical ways to make some money on the side.

Have a brick-and-mortar store?

If you have the crew to do it, become an Amazon Hub Delivery Partner. They drop off 20 to 50 packages a day for you and your staff to deliver. As for the pay, we’re not talking peanuts — this can add as much as $27,000 per year to your bottom line.

Have an opinion?

Sign up for paid surveys. Just do me a favor and don’t Google “paid surveys,” or you’ll end up on junk sites. User Interviews is legit. You may have to apply for several before you get approved, but they pay well. Content Queen Allie scored $40 for a 10-minute call.

The downside? They pay in gift cards, but Amazon and Visa are both options (and basically cash).

💸 Pro tip: A lot of survey sites or product-review options will make it seem like you’re gonna make a lot of money. Try this: Search for “Reddit” and the company’s name to see recent posts from real people. One company looked great, but a quick Reddit search revealed it was more like $50 for years of work. Pass!

Have property?

Rent it out. Here are two ways to do it without strangers stepping foot inside your house:

• Sniffspot turns your outdoor space into a private dog park. Some homeowners are earning up to $3,000 per month and don’t even have to be home to manage it (ideal for people who don’t WFH).
• Swimply is a good way to make cash renting your pool when you’re not using it. Some people make $5,000 per month!

And if you wanna live the creator lifestyle …

Sell your smarts in PDF form. Digital products are the easiest format to make money on. Think about throwing your subject matter expertise into a PDF and selling it at a fair price.

💡 That might be printable templates for teachers, best practices and processes for different industries, or worksheets for parents. Solid resources save time — and that’s what people are willing to pay for.

📃 I have a pun about paper printouts … but it’s tearable.

If you hear me talk about TotalAV’s award-winning security service and think, “Kim, I know what I’m doing online,” I’ve got bad news. Hackers are smarter than ever, and their tricks can work on even the most tech-savvy folks.

Whether you're surfing on your laptop, checking emails on your tablet or shopping on your smartphone, TotalAV will keep you safe.

• Instantly identify and block misleading websites. TotalAV's advanced WebShield functionality is your shield against phishing attempts.
• Detect, block and eliminate harmful malware threats and viruses in real time.
• TotalAV's System Tune-Up feature removes unwanted applications, clears redundant files and optimizes caching to keep your system running at its best.

You get all that across up to five devices (Windows, Mac, Android and iOS) with my exclusive offer: Just $19 for the first year. You can’t beat that.

🏨 No privacy? No way! Spyware was found on check-in computers at Wyndham hotels across the U.S. capturing screenshots of guest info, including names, addresses and credit card details. The spyware, pcTattletale, is sold as a smart way to monitor employees (and children!), but … it exposed all that Wyndham customer info online for anyone with the right know-how to find.

Not shocked: Google’s AI-generated search results are dishing out some dangerous nonsense. When asked about "cheese not sticking to pizza,” the AI suggested adding glue to the sauce. It also responded to “health benefits of tobacco for tweens” with increased alertness, euphoria and relaxation. Uh‑oh.

📉 This is wild: The general feeling about the U.S. economy is gloomier today than in 2008. Oof. You can blame social media and their algorithms. Most economic news sources focus on the doom and gloom, despite the actual data. Cut down on the scrolling and spend more time with the people you love most.

Beep-beep: A new bill in California might soon make your car beep at you for speeding. Dubbed “passive speed limiters,” these devices will be mandatory in all new cars sold in the state by 2032, alerting drivers when they're over the speed limit by 10 mph. Just so you know, this tech is being used in the EU already, and, yes, drivers can turn it off.

Sam wants your repair shop to sing: Samsung is asking independent phone repair shops to pass along your name and contact details if you've used their services on your Samsung device. If that shop discovers any aftermarket parts in your phone, Samsung asks that they “immediately disassemble” (destroy) your device.

Pass it to your IT person: Slack is using your private chats to train its AI systems. For your data, you’ll get benefits like improved emoji suggestions. Lame. You can’t opt out in the settings; to escape, your Slack admin needs to send an email to feedback@slack⁠.⁠com with your workspace or organization URL and the subject line, “Slack global model opt-out request.”

🔥 Hot off the press: Apple’s foldable MacBook could arrive in 2026, a year earlier than expected. Rumor has it we’re looking at an 18.8- or 20-inch display and Apple’s M5 processor. Oh, and foldable iPhones and iPads are still in the development pipeline, too. If anyone can do it right, it’s Apple.

📞 Digital doppelgänger: Truecaller now lets you clone your voice and answer calls with an AI assistant. It’ll screen incoming calls with something like, “Hi there! I’m Digital Kim! May I ask who’s calling?” Wanna try it? Open Settings > Set Up Personal Voice, and follow the instructions. Only $2.99 a month to hand over your voice … No, thanks.

It’s official: I’ve been warning you about this, and now we have a date. Support for Windows 10 ends Oct. 14, 2025. Your PC will still work, but no more updates — security or otherwise. Let me know if you need recs for a new laptop or PC.

⏫ No cap: Use a Mac? Now, when you click into a form field (like a search bar or login area), you’ll see a blue arrow icon pop up to alert you if you’re typing in all caps. ‘Bout time we got a warning before entering a long, complicated password with Caps Lock enabled!

Speaking of … I’m so over passwords: That’s why I use a password manager. No more typing them in for me, or (yeah, right) trying to remember them all. Try my pick for 50% off. It’s easy to set up and even easier to use.

🤫 Instagram secret: Have you seen those IG posts with multiple accounts listed? You can do it, too! The Collab feature lets you add up to three pals to coauthor posts or Reels. Before you post, tap Tag people and you’ll see the collaborator option. Sweet!

Out of black ink? Before you print, change the color to #010101. It’ll look black, but it’s really 99% gray. While you’re at it, knock down the font size and switch the typeface to Courier New or Garamond. They use the least ink.

I always pop an AirTag in my checked bag, just in case it doesn’t turn up on the baggage carousel. But I also need a different kind of bag finder for when it does turn up so it’s not lost in a sea of black suitcases.

Luggage tag: This silicone bag tag with an initial ($7.99) has 26 letter choices and three color options. Green “K” for me, thanks.

Bag belt: A multifunctional bag belt ($9.99) keeps your stuff from spilling onto the tarmac and makes it easy to spot.

Strap cover: Another two-for-one luggage identifier, these neoprene bag handle wraps ($9.99) are cushy for carrying and bright for spotting. So smart.

We goofed yesterday’s intro, but I loved everyone asking if it was a test. You are paying attention! Hope you had a great Thursday.

The answer: B.) 69 tourists have achieved space flight, under the U.S. definition of reaching an altitude of 50 miles (80 kilometers).

💸 Want to save up for a space flight? Suborbital trips typically start around $200,000. Trips to the International Space Station? Upwards of $80 million. Think you can book with credit card points?

End the workweek with a laugh. I’m streaming today with Andrew and Allie. Catch us at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) on YouTube, Rumble or Facebook. See you there! And see you right back here tomorrow, where I’ll cover your Memorial Day shopping do’s and don’ts. You don’t want to miss it! — Kim