A very happy Wednesday to you, friend. Let’s rewind the VHS tape. Remember the ’80s? Big hair, big dreams and even bigger movie predictions? Way before Zoom mic silences and Nintendo Wii living room collisions, one now-iconic film imagined the future with crazy foresight.

📺 Which popular 1980s movie predicted video calls and hands-free gaming: A) WarGames, B) Back to the Future Part II, C) Tron or D) The Terminator? Think before you fast-forward. The answer’s loading at the end.

⚠️ Big Tech reads and tracks all your email. StartMail keeps your inbox private with encrypted, ad-free email that puts you back in control. No tracking. No spying. Just secure email! Get 60% off today. More info on that below. — Kim

Work got beef with your focus?

You’re not imagining it, according to Microsoft, employees get interrupted every two minutes. Emails. Pings. Meetings that could’ve been Slack messages.

And that doesn’t even include the 37 tabs you’ve got open, YouTube lofi, your notes doc and a recipe for chicken thighs “you’ll definitely make later.” Spoiler: You won’t.

By Wednesday, the week can start to feel a little … wobbly. Deadlines pile up, emails multiply like rabbits, and your to-do list somehow has more on it than it did Monday morning.

You don’t need a Himalayan retreat or 12 new productivity apps to reclaim your week. Just a few sneaky little tweaks, and it’s focus mode, activated. Here’s how I work:

📝 1. Know your energy level

Midweek is the perfect time to re-sort your list by energy level. High-energy? Knock out a tough project or major decision first. Low-energy? Handle the easy wins, quick emails, forms, supply orders. Super tired? Focus only on next steps, not the whole project.

Use your brain when it’s sharpest, not when you’re running on coffee fumes. You’re not lazy. You’re strategic.

📅 2. Set ‘No Meetings’ time

Yes, meetings are necessary. But so is silence. Even a one-hour block can reset your brain.

Open your calendar. Pick a 1–2-hour window tomorrow (or today if you can). Mark it “Focus Time” or “Deep Work, Do Not Book.”

Pro tip: In Google Calendar, you can set “Focus Time,” and it automatically declines meeting invites. (Best. Feature. Ever.)

Protect this time like it’s an actual meeting because it is. With yourself.

📬 3. Give 20 minutes

Stop letting emails peck you to death all day long. Batch all replies into a tight 20-minute power session like you’re competing in Squid Game.

Set a timer. Open your inbox. Power through replies as fast as possible. Hit send, no overthinking, no obsessing.

No, you’re not lazy. You’re just trying to think in a world designed to interrupt you every 120 seconds. But with these three moves (20 minutes total!), you can brain-hack your way through the week like the misunderstood genius you are.

Midweek momentum, activated. I hope this helps you out.

🥳 If not, maybe this will. I used to have a Ford Focus. After I left a bunch of tequila in the glove compartment, it turned into a Ford Fiesta. (I saw you smile!)

📦 Kick that mess to the curb in style.

🛍️ I can’t live without these: I reorder these 20 little game changers all the time. They’ll make your life easier, too.

🛒 Visit my Amazon store for more of my recommendations.

🔍 Google I/O announcements: I wasn’t overly impressed. Search is getting an AI Mode tab so you can use Gemini to browse the web. Why? Google Meet will add real-time speech translation. Finally. Gmail will dig through your inbox to suggest replies that sound more like you. Helpful, maybe. And for shopping? Upload a full-length photo and virtually try on outfits. And Google gets more data points on you to sell.

Take It Down Act: President Trump just signed a law making it a crime to post someone’s intimate images without their consent, even if they’re AI deepfakes. It’s serious stuff. You could face up to three years in prison, plus fines. Platforms have 48 hours to take down reported content and scrub any copies.

🚨 Update Chrome ASAP: Google dropped an emergency patch to fix a flaw that could let hackers take over your accounts. Don’t wait. Go to Settings > About Chrome and make sure you’re up to date. Windows and Linux should be on version 136.0.7103.113. macOS should be on 136.0.7103.114.

👁️ New Orleans secret surveillance: For two years, police used facial recognition to track people in real time. They tapped into a private network of cameras to scan crowds for anyone on a wanted list and sent alerts to officers. The twist? It might not have been legal. The program’s now paused (paywall link).

JPMorgan flip-flops: CEO Jamie Dimon still hates crypto, but now JPMorgan’s letting clients buy it. You won’t get custody or a warm hug … just ETFs on your monthly statement. Think of it as cold, regulatory-compliant enthusiasm. He’s basically telling you, “Don’t vape, but if you must, do it through your investment account.”

🛠️ Hood’s up, scam’s on: Scammers are showing up to buy your car and sabotaging it mid-sale. They’re pouring oil into the coolant to fake engine issues, then trying to lowball you into selling the vehicle cheap. Even if you don’t fall for it, you’re stuck with a mess and a repair bill.

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.

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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Reboot your router once a month for better speeds. Pro tip: Plug it into a smart plug (7% off) and schedule auto reboots.

Make it make sense: Struggling with a tricky topic or concept? Ask a chatbot to “explain this like I’m 8 years old.” Seriously, it works for everything from complex theories to data analysis. You’ll get the core idea in plain language, no jargon. It’s also a great way to help others if they’re still confused.

🌐 Browser acting weird? Extensions or broken settings could be messing things up. Time for a reset. In Chrome, go to Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults. Using Firefox? Head to Menu > Help > More Troubleshooting information, then click Refresh Firefox and confirm.

Copy text with your iPhone camera: Go to Settings > General > Language & Region and turn on Live Text. Then head to Settings > Camera and toggle on Show Detected Text. Open the Camera app, line up the document and tap the Live Text icon. Now grab the text and paste it into Notes.

💸 Skip paying for Office: Why shell out for Microsoft Office when Google Workspace is free? If you’ve got a Google account, you can whip up docs, slides and spreadsheets right in your browser. No installs, no fuss. Since it’s all in the cloud, you can log in from anywhere and share stuff when you need to.

Do we finally have the tech to hear your dog call you out?

Introducing the world’s first smart collar that analyzes your dog’s bark and detects five emotional states: happy, anxious, angry, sad and relaxed.

Petpuls was developed in South Korea and is rolling out slowly around the world, one tail-wagging customer at a time.

Will this collar let you know whether your pupper is a good boy/girl? Probably, but I can do that, too, and I’ll do it for free. But can I sync with a smartphone app that logs emotional data and activity levels? They’ve got me beat there.

This isn’t the first time humans have tried to GPT man’s best friend. Just hope your dog doesn’t figure out how to send tweets one day.

🎬 The answer? B) Back to the Future Part II! The 1989 blockbuster showed video calls, biometric locks and even tablet-like devices. Not bad for a movie with flying cars. Hey, did you hear a new Back to the Future sequel is coming out? It’s about time.

🔒 Your email should be your business, not Big Tech’s. StartMail gives you the email privacy you deserve. Take back control of your inbox, one secure message at a time. It’s super easy to switch, too. They have a special tool to get it done. Get 60% off StartMail with my exclusive deal!

✉️ Don’t keep all this charm and intellect to yourself. Forward it to someone who still thinks Indiana Jones is a real historical figure. I won’t tell. Tomorrow, here in the best tech newsletter in the USA, there’s a secret smartphone setting that shows every single place you’ve been. Until then, go shine brighter than your screen today. — Kim

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