It's finally Friday, friend.Ever wonder what's really going on inside your phone when it buzzes like a caffeinated bee at 7 a.m.? One second you're deep in dreamland. The next, you're jolted awake because someone tagged you in a meme from 2014.
So what's actually shaking? Is it: A) A piezoelectric crystal, B) A mini speaker, C) A tiny spinning motor with an off-center weight, or D) An electrostatic pulse? No peeking. Answer's waiting for you at the bottom!
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💌 Loving The Current? Add me to your favorites, so your phone buzzes for the right reasons, that is, tech intelligence. — Kim
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TODAY'S DEEP DIVE
Truth be film'd
Image: ChatGPT
First about this image. I asked AI to "make a pic of me watching a movie," and somehow it nailed my husband, our two goldens (even Bella the puppy!). But there's something off. Can you spot it? At the end of the newsletter, rate it, then drop your guess, name and email. I'll pick five random winners to get a Kim Komando Show ballcap (a $29.99 value)! 🧢
Moving on…
Looking for something great to watch this weekend? Forget feel-good fluff, this list is packed with real stories that'll leave your soul gently dismantled. Better yet, all these movies are based on real events. I've watched every one.
They're powerful, emotional and full of people who overcame the impossible, made history or changed the world in quiet but unforgettable ways.
Hit the link to watch the movie's trailer and find out where it's streaming.
Unbroken An Olympic athlete survives a WWII plane crash, 47 days adrift at sea and brutal captivity in a Japanese POW camp and never gives up.
Nyad Annette Bening stars as Diana Nyad, who swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida at age 64. Talk about determination.
Reality Sydney Sweeney plays NSA whistleblower Reality Winner in a real-time thriller using actual FBI transcripts. It's tense and intimate.
The Burial Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones face off in a legal battle over a family-run funeral home. It's smart, funny and based on a real 1995 case.
Lion A boy gets lost in India, adopted in Australia, and years later finds his way home using Google Earth. Bring tissues.
Father Stu Mark Wahlberg plays a boxer turned priest whose life is upended by a rare illness. It's raw, redemptive and surprisingly funny.
The Theory of Everything Stephen Hawking's rise, struggle and love story are brought to life by an incredible performance from Eddie Redmayne.
Elvis Austin Butler becomes The King in Baz Luhrmann's burning love take on Elvis' rise, fall and complicated legacy.
Hidden Figures The true story of three Black women at NASA who helped launch America into space. Smart and very inspiring.
The Courier Benedict Cumberbatch plays an ordinary British businessman pulled into Cold War espionage to help prevent nuclear war. A tense, low-key spy thriller based on a little-known real hero.
If you're into stories that really happened and stick with you afterward, this is your list. Let me know which one you watch, or send me your own recommendation. I love hearing what moves you.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
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💼 Bring your bot to work day: If you're applying for a job at Meta, you can now use AI coding assistants during the interview. Makes sense. You wouldn't make an accountant use an abacus.
Kicking the bucket: Dropbox is shutting down its free password manager, Dropbox Passwords, on Aug. 27, 2025. All your logins and saved passwords will vanish. If you're looking for a reliable alternative, NordPass* is a smart, secure pick that's easy to use, packed with features and won't suddenly disappear on you.
🕰️ Gen Z raids Grandma: Turns out Grandma's house is the new Supreme drop. Estate sales are popping with 20-somethings hunting for secondhand treasures that are cheap and well-made. It's thrifting 2.0, but with more mid-century lamps you'll aggressively make your personality for six months.
Fur-get hide-and-seek: Whistle dog GPS trackers are shutting down on Aug. 31. Why? Rival Tractive bought them. Trade in your old Whistle for a free Tractive tracker by Sept. 30. Subscriptions roll over, but warranties don't.
Tunnel vision: The Musk Boring Company is planning a 10-mile loop in Nashville, linking downtown to the airport. It's privately funded, Tesla-filled (of course) and could launch by 2026 if no one panics about excavation under Music City.
🐱 You've got to be kitten me: Every year since 2016, people have gone to theaters to watch a full-length film of cats being chaotic, cute and ridiculous (case in point). CatVideoFest is a compilation of viral clips and fan submissions aka YouTube, but on the big screen. The kicker? It's a hit. Last year alone, it clawed in over $1 million. That's the cat's meow.
DIGITAL LIFE HACK
Don't get juice jacked
Want to use a public USB port? Plugging in could let hackers steal your data or infect your phone.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: If you've got multiple browser tabs playing sound, right-click one and select Mute site to silence it. In some browsers, you can also click the Speaker icon. Love that.
Fix Spotify recs: Getting songs on Discover Weekly that make you go, "Why … this?" Give it a nudge: Find the bad playlist, tap the three-dot menu and select Exclude from your taste profile.
🎙️ Say the emoji on iPhone: Here's a fast way to add emojis. Just tap the microphone icon in the text field and say the emoji's name, like "thumbs up emoji" for 👍. It'll drop right into your message. The catch? You need the exact name. Don't worry, I've got the full list for you.
Make the cursor pop: On Windows, if you're having trouble seeing your mouse pointer, go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch. Under Mouse pointer style, choose Custom and pick a new color. Now drag the Size slider to make it bigger.
🖥️ Pick the right refresh rate: Resolution isn't everything when buying a monitor. Refresh rate affects how smooth motion looks and helps cut down on choppy images. For everyday work, anything over60 Hz is fine. Gamers and video editors should go for 180 Hz. And if your kids are serious about Fortnite, they'll want 240 Hz or more.
💸 Trade in your old tech: Amazon takes your old phones, tablets, smart speakers and more. Tell them what you're trading in and its condition, and they'll offer a gift card based on its value. Bonus: If you trade in Amazon gear like an Echo, you'll also get 20% off a new qualifying device.
Find the subscriptions you forgot about: I use Rocket Money, an app that finds all your recurring subscriptions and lets you easily cancel anything you don't want. The first time I logged in, it saved me $435!*
BY THE NUMBERS
72 hours That's the weekly grind for typical AI startup workers. It's the infamous "996" warning label, that's 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, that feels more like working in the 1950s (minus the pensions, drinks, cigars and long lunches). AI may replace us eventually, but until then, it's replacing our sleep.
30% The share of telescope images now tainted by Starlink's signal leakage. One out of every three cosmic snapshots gets photobombed by a satellite. Researchers spotted unintentional radiation, using 76 million images from the EDA2 telescope. These signals aren't even part of the satellites' jobs, they're just leaking and contaminating data meant to map the cosmic "dark ages."
5 That's how many people it takes to keep your mental health from tanking. A study by Medibank and Growth Distillery found people with "high mental well-being" had an average of five reliable friends. Those struggling? Just three friends. That tiny gap is the difference between "I've got support" and "I don't want to bother anyone."
WHAT THE TECH?
Image: Space Force
Hold on to your tinfoil hats, Space Force just announced the next mission for America's favorite top-secret spaceplane, the X-37B.
Launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on Aug. 21, the spacecraft will test a quantum inertial sensor so precise it can navigate space without GPS.
I guess they were fed up with Apple Maps, too.
Also on board: laser communication tech. Compared to old-school radio, laser signals are faster, more secure and carry more data. Think fiber optics in the sky.
LOGGING OUT …
🤳 Answer: C) A tiny spinning motor with an off-center weight. Inside your phone is a mini motor called an eccentric rotating mass (ERM). More like, erm, that's cool.
When it whirls, the lopsided weight causes vibration, basically a personal earthquake in your pocket. So next time your phone buzzes, thank the small, off-kilter hero spinning its heart out in there.
Speaking of… A friend bet me that I couldn't turn spaghetti into a motor vehicle. She was really mad when I drove pasta. (You're totally going to use that one, I know!)
👏 Wait, before you go: Incogni is the reason I have zero spam calls and texts on my phone. They've sent almost 2,000 requests on my behalf to people-search and data broker sites to remove me. Incredible. Try it yourself risk-free for 60% off right now.
Glad you're here with the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S., that's something of an off-kilter hero itself. Tomorrow, a new rebel app without a cause.
Until then, I'm signing off with a full battery and an open tab for tomorrow's curiosity. — Kim
Companies noted with an asterisk (*) sponsor my national radio show. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
This newsletter and its content are intended for informational purposes only. They are provided without warranty of any kind. You shouldn't construe anything provided here as legal, health, medical, technical, tax, investment, financial or any other kind of advice.
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