| U-Haul's scary vulnerability, Tesla near-death experience, a buyer for TikTok?  In partnership with NativePath | | A wonderful Wednesday is upon us, friend! My air fryer is one of my kitchen MVPs. I spotted something pretty cool at CES: Dreo's new AI-powered air fryer. It converts any recipe from a website, cookbook or even a handwritten family favorite to be air fryer-ready, with the right time and temperature. I don't know about this tech … My aunt Ida's favorite recipe was French onion soup. I had some in Paris yesterday, and my aunt's recipe is still air-replaceable! (Psst, while you're on my IG page, hit follow so you never miss a post.) 🪞 Whoa, look at you (and me!): I take two scoops of collagen a day. It's good for bone density, makes your nails and hair stronger, and can help smooth wrinkles without Botox or fillers. Use this link for 45% off if you want to try it, too. Now, on to the tech smarts you need today! — Kim 📬 Was this email forwarded? Sign up here for free | TODAY'S TOP STORY Every parent should read this  This topic hits me personally, and I don't like to discuss it at all. You never know who's a child predator. I was molested by a trusted family friend when I was 6 years old. I told my parents, and they took immediate action — well, not the action my Dad wanted, which was to cut off the guy's hands. The predator did the same thing for many years, even after police involvement, and he continued to do so until he died a horrible death from cancer. Today, these sickos are online and their prey is everywhere. That's why I wanted to talk to Roo Powell. She was working at a tech company and wanted to expose just how many predators lurk online, looking for kids to target. She and her colleagues created a profile for a fake teenage girl. "The volume and speed of the abusive messages were staggering," she told me. It was so much worse than they'd anticipated. Their experiment, though, ended with a federal sex abuse case. That was five years ago. Powell went on to found the nonprofit SOSA, short for Safe from Online Sex Abuse, and she's the force behind two seasons of "Undercover Underage," streaming on Max. SOSA's work has put at least 70 predators behind bars. This is such an important topic and one you should be aware of, whether you have kids at home or not. No parent wants to think their child is a target But it can happen to any kid from any family, with any economic background, any gender or sexuality. "Kids are targeted just for being kids online," Roo says. In one case, she pretended to traffic an 11-year-old online. A man showed up with a McDonald's Happy Meal and was quickly arrested. Horrifying, I know. In TV shows and movies, child predators look like monsters. In reality, they could be anyone. "We've had high school teachers, medical professionals, a Department of Children and Family Services worker." Two things these people have in common? They're manipulative and practiced. One study says the average perpetrator has 50 to 150 victims in their lifetime. Can you believe that? The tactics vary Families have to know about them. One recurrent trope is pretending to be a trusted friend. Their approach is "There's a lot of bad people online. I'll look out for you," Roo explained. The most common is grooming, the process predators use to slowly gain trust. It starts with small requests, like, "What'd you have for breakfast? Send me a pic of it." Seems harmless, so the kid might not think twice. It only gets stronger from there. "What outfit are you wearing today? Send me a picture of you in the outfit." After a while, Roo says, the child is so used to saying yes that when a really egregious request comes across, it's hard to say no. 5 ways to help your kid stay safer online With my son, I found the most important thing was making sure he knew he was safe to come to me with anything. Here are a few ways to get there if you're feeling lost: - Have honest conversations. Start age-appropriate talks with your kid about the good and bad parts of the internet. I did this with Ian starting around age 3.
- Educate them on red flags. Talk with your kids about behaviors adults use to manipulate them — paying them compliments, asking them to keep secrets, and asking for photos and videos.
- Know what they're doing. Keeping up to date with the social media platforms your kid likes most can help you spot and stop potential issues.
- Set healthy boundaries. Have a strategy around screen time, what apps and sites are allowed, and when to have downtime. I have a free guide if you need help.
- Make a plan. Take decision-making out of the equation by creating a plan together before they need it. Remind your kid to follow the plan even if someone threatens them.
If your child or one you know has experienced online abuse, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline. For mental health support, contact the Crisis Support Text Line to speak with a trained counselor. ✅ Do your part and send this to the parents in your life using the buttons below. If this helps even one family, it's worth it, and we did our job today. | KIM KOMANDO TODAY Exclusive: Kitboga's robot army to outsmart scammers Can you trust a video call? Is that website legit? Are you even talking to your real friends? YouTuber Kitboga is building a robot army to scam the scammers. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | WEB WATERCOOLER Hauling away your data: A hacker group is targeting U‑Haul employee accounts to steal customer emails, phone numbers and verified info, like addresses and the last four digits of credit cards. With that, they can hack into so much more, and they know exactly where to find you. Used U‑Haul lately? Call 1‑866‑242‑7780 or email privacy@uhaul.com to submit a consumer request for them to delete your personal information. Very Apple-esque: Dell is ditching iconic laptop names like XPS, Inspiron and Latitude for "simplified" lines: Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max. Each has Base, Plus and Premium tiers. Pro laptops are the new Latitude, and Premium models are replacing the XPS line. 🦈 Sink or swim: "Shark Tank" judge Kevin O'Leary and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt are trying to buy Communist China-owned TikTok before the possible ban on Jan. 19. O'Leary says the big goal is protecting 170 million American users from Chinese surveillance. They'll need at least $100 billion to get this done. Quick thinking saves the day: Tech CEO Jesse Lyu had a scary moment when his Tesla's Full Self-driving system steered him onto light rail tracks, straight into the path of a train. He turned off the autopilot, ran a red light and escaped safely. He shared the dashcam footage on X. Frightening. 🤳 AI do not consent: You might see a new you on Instagram. They're showing people AI images of themselves in their own feeds. Meta's taking your selfies and sticking them into random scenarios like mirror mazes and astronaut suits, all to advertise their Meta AI. Step change: Mark Zuckerberg is replacing fact-checking with "community notes" on Meta, just like on X (they didn't even change the name) to "restore free expression." He's been cozying up to the incoming Trump admin, but he's not alone; Amazon, Apple, Meta, OpenAI and others gave $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. Zuck's trying hard to clean up Meta's reputation of censorship, especially after the 2016 election. ⏰ What do "a.m." and "p.m." mean? This is unbelievable. A post on X went viral asking that question. In case you don't know, "a.m." stands for "ante meridiem" (Latin for "before midday"), and "p.m." is "post meridiem" ("after midday"). I'm shocked by how many folks are surprised 12 p.m. is noon and 12 a.m. is midnight. How does this happen? Forever young: Tech CEOs like Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and Peter Thiel are sinking cash into life extension. The $25 billion industry is all about trying to reverse aging by reprogramming cells and manipulating genes. They've got a long way to go; life-extending pills aren't expected to be here until at least 2060. Until then, diet and exercise! | DEALS OF THE DAY Up your phone photography game 🤳 Who has an actual camera anymore? - Spend $13 on a phone tripod (12% off) instead of leaning your phone on a pile of books every time you want to take a family photo. It comes with a remote, too.
- Beach vacay planned and don't want to buy a GoPro? A waterproof phone pouch saves you $200.
- No amount of Photoshop will save that smudged Christmas dinner pic. (Blame the ham.) If only you'd had a microfiber cleaning cloth (30% off, $7) ...
- Facebook Marketplace hack: If you use a white backdrop, the stuff you're selling looks a lot fancier. Only $10!
- A clip-on selfie light is great for stuff like selfies, Zoom meetings and taking your own passport pictures (with the white backdrop!).
🤑 FYI: Amazon's Subscribe & Save program can save you a bunch on the essentials you always use. I use it for vitamins and other things I never want to run out of. | DIGITAL LIFE HACK Thieves love old clunkers Imagine two cars: A shiny, new one fresh from the lot and your old reliable parked in the garage. Which one do thieves prefer? The old one every time. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. Use this link to listen on Komando.com → | TECH LIFE UPGRADES "Hey, Kim, what was the name of that …" I get so many questions about our security sponsors. You need five security products. I put together a handy resource where you can find what they do, links and deals I've negotiated just for you. 💪 Wanna get in shape? Ask your favorite AI chatbot to create a custom fitness plan. Try this: "Create a 30-day fitness plan for fat loss and muscle gain tailored to a [male/female] beginner at [your age]." Or get specific: "Create a four-week fitness plan to help me run a mile for the first time." Don't sweat it. Brush up: Microsoft offers free online training for Office programs, including video tutorials, interactive guides and practice exercises. Sorry, there's no secret for making Teams better. 🖨️ Ink outside the box: Dust can cause unexpected problems with your printer. Open the paper trays, remove any paper and use a handheld vac to suck up the dust. You can also blow it out with compressed air. Social media addiction is real: Every like, share or funny video triggers a dopamine hit. It's that feel-good chemical your brain loves. But too much scrolling and your brain will produce less dopamine, leaving you craving more screen time just to feel normal. Taking a break can reset those pathways. A few days offline does the trick. How does everyone get their IG posts so fancy? I've gotcha! Add text to photos by tapping the text button, or throw in stickers via the gallery. For Reels, you've got the text, animations and effects buttons. Get your business up to speed: AI isn't going anywhere, but using it in your operations can get expensive. Take a free test drive of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure now at Oracle.com/kim* to see if they can cut your bill in half. | BY THE NUMBERS $80,000 a year For being a pal. After Shoji Morimoto in Japan got fired in 2018 for being lazy, he started renting himself out to strangers who needed a friend. He charges $65 to $195 to join folks at parties and concerts — nothing sexual, though. 60% to 90% The amount of starch in rice water. An old beauty hack is trending on social media for promoting hair growth and improving shine. Rice water is loaded with vitamins and minerals that help your hair, especially zinc. Don't expect instant results; hair grows in three- to four-month cycles, so be patient. $1,300 cellphone bill After a Royal Caribbean cruise. A passenger forgot to put their phone in Airplane mode and got slapped with roaming charges. If you ever take a cruise or travel overseas, remember to switch on that setting! | WHAT THE TECH?  Wild CES find: A keyboard that moves out of the way so you can use the mouse as you move your hand. Would you use one? I think it'd drive me batty … | UNTIL NEXT TIME ... Ski for free! Fun perk if you fly Alaska Airlines: Show your boarding pass at a resort or ski area they partner with for free same-day lift tickets. This includes Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming and Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado. See the full list here. 😂 A dad joke for the slopes: I gave up cross-country skiing. Since then, it's all been downhill. Look good, feel good: You deserve to feel your best. Collagen has been a staple in my routine for years. Grab NativePath Collagen here with my link to save 45%. Three cheers for stronger bones! Whoa, baby, what a day. I'll see you back here tomorrow with at least one joke that'll make you roll your eyes, plus a whole lot of tech news. Thank you for being part of the best newsletter in the USA! — Kim | Help us spread the word! SHARE → Or copy and share your personalized link: https://referrer.komando.com/69cb7d0c/3 | How'd we do? What did you think of today's issue? | | |
|
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.