Happy Thursday to you, friend. Ah, the ’90s, when both that unforgettable screechy connection tone and 3.5-inch floppy disks were amazing advancements. But did you know one little computer game caused such a ruckus in New York office buildings, it got straight-up banned for being “too addictive”? 

💾 Take a guess which office saboteur got the boot: A) Tetris, B) Solitaire, C) Minesweeper or D) Doom. Find the answer at the end! 

🛡️ Your inbox is ground zero for Big Tech tracking and tons of scams. That’s why I use StartMail, private encrypted email that puts you in control. No ads, no spying, just secure email that works. Try it free and get 60% off! — Kim

You finally made it to your gate, overpriced coffee in hand, sprinting like your vacation depends on it, only to be greeted by those two soul-crushing words: Flight Delayed. Maybe it starts with 30 minutes … then an hour … then four. 

No apology, no update, just your suitcase sunbathing alone on the tarmac like it’s on vacation without you. 

Here’s what the airlines don’t want you to know: You might be owed money. A lot of money. But you usually have to ask, and that’s where tech know-how (and me) saves the day.

💰 International flights

Flying to Canada or anywhere in the EU? You might be owed $300 to $700 if your flight is delayed over three hours. The U.S. doesn’t mandate airlines pay out for delays, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope.  

Don’t spend hours combing through airline policies. AirHelp does it for you. Just enter your flight number and date, and it checks your eligibility. If you’re owed money, they’ll file the paperwork and deal with the airline. 

They take a cut (about 25%) if you win.

🧳 Bag checks 

In the U.S., airlines are required to reimburse passengers for reasonable expenses due to delayed or lost luggage. Think clothing, toiletries, chargers, even a change of shoes if your bag’s gone for days.

Toss an Apple AirTag (21% off) or Tile tracker ($24.98) in your bag. This way, you can see your bag’s location in real time.

Airlines love to tell you your luggage is “in transit” when it’s clearly stuck in Milwaukee. Show them proof, and get your expenses covered faster.  

💼 Credit card perks

Did you book with a card like Chase Sapphire Preferred or AmEx Platinum? You could be reimbursed for meals, hotels and ground transportation if your flight’s delayed. 

You have to file the claim, and most people don’t even know this perk exists.

📲 Great apps

FlightAware, Flighty and TripIt Pro give you real-time alerts, often before the airline updates the board. 

HotelTonight helps you grab a room if you’re stranded overnight.

✍️ Bonus: Complain

Try this prompt with ChatGPT or your favorite chatbot:

“Write a professional complaint email to [airline] requesting compensation for a 4-hour delay, citing DOT and EU flight delay regulations.”

Fill in your airline, date and flight number, and boom, instant legal-sounding email. And yes, it will likely work.

Airlines owe you more than pretzels and an eye roll. Use tech, ask the right questions, and demand what you are owed.

😴 Feel like a human pretzel by 2 p.m.? Let’s fix that.

• 🪞 Mirror, mirror on the wall: This smart travel scale (19% off) doubles as a makeup mirror. It slides right into your bag.

• 🍑 Cheeky support: Your back and booty will thank you after grabbing this seat cushion (14% off).

• ⌨️ Wrist assured: An ergonomic keyboard and mouse rest (28% off) cradles every click and scroll.

• 💆 So satisfying: Two scalp massagers (10% off) + zero batteries = 4.6 stars and 33,000+ reviews.

• 👣 Heel, yeah: These stick-on callus pads (6% off) act like little bodyguards for your toes.

• 🕯️ Smell that? Ah, it’s a 45-hour candle (11% off) that comes in 18 cozy scents. Eucalyptus Orange is a fan fave.

🛍️ Bag it all: From feel-good finds to everyday essentials, my Amazon storefront has you covered.

🚨 Booking⁠.com warning: Speaking of travel, scammers will email or message you claiming your reservation is at risk. They’ll say it’s urgent and you’ll lose your spot unless you click a link to “verify” or “pre-authorize” your card. Don’t fall for it. If you’re worried, contact customer service.

It takes an AI village: X is getting more AI slop. It will now allow AI to write Community Notes, but only if humans give them a thumbs-up. You’ll see them labeled as AI-written. Bots are no longer just spreading misinformation, now they’re trying to clean it up, too. 

👨‍🏫 Artificial degree syndrome: Forget cramming Java syntax, universities are now teaching students how to think like machines (paywall link). AI is shaking computer science ed, and schools like Carnegie Mellon are pivoting hard. The new curriculum? Vibe coding.

Spider’s in the server: Qantas just revealed a data breach that hit 6 million customer records. No financial info leaked (phew), but names, birthdays and frequent flier numbers got scooped. The culprit might be Scattered Spider, the cybercrime crew currently doing a full tour of the aviation sector. Expect more airlines joining the hit list.

🌞 Cool roofs, cooler robots: Researchers trained AI to design a paint that lowers building temps up to 68°F, seriously. It reflects heat, saves power and could murder AC bills. Tested on apartments in hot cities, the paint slashes electric use enough to run thousands of extra units. The kicker? It actually looks good. 

📍 There’s an app for that: ICEBlock, a map app for spotting ICE agents, hit #1 on the App Store after CNN reported about it and then U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on X called CNN’s report an “obstruction of justice.” The app lets people pin sightings and get alerts nearby. No word from Apple if they’re gonna pull it.

You know what they say… If it’s free, you’re the product. Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook? Yes, they’re tracking everything from what you click to where you are, and who you talk to.

That’s why I trust StartMail. It’s built for people, like us, who care about privacy. No ads, no tracking, just powerful features like unlimited disposable email addresses and encrypted communication. They even make it easy to transfer over everything from your current email provider.

Here’s the best part: I scored you 60% off an annual plan for the first year. Trust me, it doesn’t get better than this. 

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Need to print something fast from your phone? Email it to your printer. Many HP and Epson printers have their own email address. 

Control app access on Windows: On your PC, choose which apps can use your camera or mic. Go to Settings > Privacy & security, then scroll to App permissions. Tap Microphone, then toggle off any apps you don’t need using it.

🖼️ Resize images on Mac: Open it in Preview, go to Tools > Adjust Size, then enter your new dimensions under Width and Height. So something like 1920 × 1080 can be scaled down to 1280 × 720. FYI: This replaces the original, so make a copy first.

Have dyslexia? Try the dyslexic font on Kindle. Open a book, tap near the top of the screen and hit the Aa icon. Go to Font > Font family and select OpenDyslexic. Bonus: You can also adjust the boldness and size of the font from here.

📺 Fix your YouTube feed: Seeing stuff you don’t care about on your home page? Tap the three-dot menu next to the video and hit Not interested. Do it regularly, and YouTube will get better at showing you what you actually like.

💵 Bon voyage to car rental fees: Clark Howard has a secret weapon to fight one pesky fee: a portable toll reader. Register online, and it works in 19 states. Subscribe to Clark.com’s free newsletter to receive more must-have money tips every day.*

This $10,000 fully automatic ORB X cocoon lets you disappear into a world of pixels, spreadsheets and games. It supports up to three 27” monitors, built-in surround sound and a motorized privacy dome that says, “Do not disturb, I’m saving galaxies … or editing that quarterly report.” 

🍿 Throw some AR and wheels on this thing, and the movie WALL-E is real. Look at this video, and you’ll agree. 

Answer: B) Solitaire. Yup, the OG productivity assassin. NYC office managers banned it in the ’90s after employees couldn’t stop clicking cards instead of instant messages. 

👮🏼‍♂️ You could say it was sent to … solitaire confinement. (Oh, that was so bad, it was good!)

🛡️ Your inbox is a target. I use StartMail, private, encrypted and ad-free. Try it free and save 60%!

🚀 This is the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S. with a stellar 5/5 star rating! Tomorrow, we celebrate our independence ... from subscription suckers. Blow up excess fees. You have to be sure to read all about it!

Until then, go screen-free for 10 minutes. 🧘‍♀️ — Kim

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