Happy Sunday and a warm Mother’s Day to you, friend. I know many of you will be watching baseball today. Back in the day, pitch calls looked like a Green Beret hand-signaling an ambush. Today, teams use tech to skip hand signals and send pitch calls more discreetly. Can you guess what they’re using: A) Smart Mound, B) PitchCom, C) Catcher’s Console, D) SignalSync. The answer is in the outfield (at the end!). 

Reusing passwords? You’re not alone, and that bad habit puts you one click away from a digital and financial disaster. NordPass remembers every password for you, creates ultra-strong ones hackers can’t crack and keeps everything locked behind next-level encryption. Get my exclusive 52% deal + one extra month free. More info ahead.

⭐ Don’t lose us in the spam spiral. Star this email, so your inbox knows it’s a VIP situation. Consider it self-care. — Kim

The other day, I was digging through a drawer (you know the one: cables, old remotes, mystery chargers … where old gadgets go to die), and I came across an old SD card. No label. Just a little piece of forgotten tech from another time.

Curious, I popped it into my computer. After a few seconds of whirring, there they were: photos from May 2013.

We were in Maui, sun-drenched, salty and blissfully unplugged. Ian had just hit that magical age when your kid is still goofy but starting to tower over you. There’s one photo of him, arms stretched up, measuring his height against Barry’s. He had just passed him. The look on his face? Pride, mixed with the realization: “I’m growing up.”

My mom was there, too, sitting at the lanai table with a pen in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She was completely focused on the New York Times Crossword in the actual newspaper. No iPad, no apps, just ink on paper and her brilliant mind at work.

And me? There’s a shot of me out on a paddleboard, grinning, hair wild, surrounded by a few of my Hawaiian friends. We weren’t tracking our steps or checking email. 

What a forgotten SD card unlocks

We live in a world where our phones automatically back up every blurry screenshot and meme. There’s something magical about stumbling across a photo you didn’t even know you still had, untouched by algorithms, unfiltered and full of feeling.

Today, Mother’s Day, that SD card hit differently. If your mom is still here, give her an extra hug, a call or maybe just a quiet moment together. If she’s not, here’s a hug from me to you. My mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2021. I miss her every day. I found a note from her about me on the internet. You can read it toward the bottom.

Remember: She’s never far. She’s in your smile, your voice, your favorite recipes, and sometimes, she’s in the background of a photo you didn’t know you had.

So here’s my challenge to you: Go hunting. Check the junk drawer, the old camera case, that mystery USB drive. You might find moments that remind you of who you were, who you loved and what truly mattered.

Found a memory gold mine? 

Use these free tools to scan, sort and back up your old photos and videos straight from SD cards, DVDs or even printed snapshots:

• Apple Photos (Mac or iPhone): Open the Photos app, plug in your SD card or camera, and import directly. iCloud will sync it across all your devices.
• Google Photos: Automatically backs up photos, sorts by face, date and location, and works on any device.
• Amazon Photos: Free unlimited photo storage for Prime members, plus automatic organization and family sharing.

And don’t forget those physical photo albums gathering dust. Use Google PhotoScan (iOS, Android) to take pictures of the pictures in albums and frames.

Coming soon, I will cover how to back up your photos the best ways possible. 

We all know remembering dozens of complex, unique passwords is a real pain. That’s probably why over half of Americans reuse the same passwords on all of their accounts. It’s easier that way, but totally dangerous.

The scary part is that if just one of those reused passwords gets compromised, hackers could get hold of your entire digital life. We’re talking email, social media, and even bank accounts. A fast fix? Using a password manager.

NordPass is the simple, secure way to manage all your passwords without the headache. It helps you generate strong passwords, store them safely, and auto-fill them when you need. No more risky shortcuts. Take control of your digital life the smart way and stop testing the limits of your online safety.

😱 A future without iPhones? Apple says we may not need smartphones at all in 10 years. With AI changing how we interact with tech, Apple is betting on lightweight AR glasses you can wear all day instead. Pretty wild, considering iPhones still make up around 50% of the company’s revenue.

Dumb it down: Google just dropped a rare AI tool that doesn’t hallucinate, lie or ask you to eat glue. It’s called Simplify, and it turns complex web text into plain English, right inside the Google app. It’s not a summary, it’s a real-time dumb-down filter. It’s like a CliffNotes for the information overloaded.

eBay’s new shopping friend: eBay’s new AI shopping “companion” wants to spiritually replace the friend who knew your vibe and your 3 a.m. niche obsessions. Its new generative AI guide is designed to guide you through the digital thrift store with next-generation ease. It’s slowly being rolled out to U.S. customers near the search bar.

🧟 Walt Disney returns … kinda: For Disneyland’s 70th, Disney is unveiling an animatronic Walt Disney to “remind fans he was an actual person” and not a mouse. Some family members aren’t thrilled, calling it a robotic grandpa impostor. But Disney swears it’s what Walt would have wanted, right down to the animatronic charm. Spoiler: No cigarettes. It was reported Walt smoked three packs a day.

Know this about LinkedIn: The best days to post are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Aim for early mornings (around 8-10 a.m.) or around lunch (12-1 p.m.) in your local time zone to capture the most engagement. Use my special link to post a job for free on LinkedIn.*

AI is breaking brains: Some folks are so obsessed with bots, they’re losing relationships and their grip on reality. One guy in Idaho believes he gave ChatGPT consciousness just by asking the right questions (paywall link). His wife says she’s scared to argue or he might divorce her. Others think they’re talking to God and angels. It’s a computer, folks.

🚔 Modern superhero: Modern Family’s Ariel Winter is now working undercover in child predator stings. Yes, that Ariel. She volunteers with SOSA, posing as teens online to catch creeps in real life. As you can imagine, Ariel describes how emotionally demanding the gig can be. 

📦 Seriously, these gems will help you do exactly that.

• Keep your clothes wrinkle-free with a pack of garment bags (15% off).
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• See all your spices, sugar and salt in these glass condiment jars (29% off).
• Loathe stale loaves? Snag a bread container ($20), so they stay fresh.
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✋ Hang on: Toss those flimsy hangers. These wooden ones (19% off) are strong and look great, too.

🛒 Visit my Amazon store for more of my recommendations.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Got kids? Set up YouTube Kids with age filters and disable the search bar to avoid sketchy content.

🖼️ Bring doodles to life: Got a great idea? Canva’s Sketch to Life app turns your drawings into AI images. Go to Apps > Sketch to Life > pick either Use in existing design or Use in new design. Then, draw your idea, describe it and tap Generate. You get seven free credits per day.

Stop Kindle fumbles: Disable your touchscreen so taps don’t register, but swipes to turn pages still work. Open a book, tap More options (three-dot icon) > Disable Touchscreen and hit OK. Want it back on? Just press the Power button to sleep and wake your Kindle.

🏊 Pool safety tip: Drowning is the top cause of death for kids ages 1 to 4. Sadly, 88% happen with an adult nearby. That’s why the Y-M-C-A launched Phones Down, Eyes Up. Take their pledge and get a free lock screen reminder, pool safety tips and a “Water Watcher” lanyard for the grown-up keeping watch.

😃 “My knees feel so much better in only one month!” That’s what Julie wrote to me since she’s been taking NativePath’s collagen. You ought to try it, too. Go here now to claim your 45% discount, free shipping and a free gift bundle, exclusive for my listeners.* 

• John from Fort Myers, Florida, wrote a song and posted it to Blake Shelton’s website. Surprise, surprise. Blake said he loved it and would record it if John paid $6,000. Something’s not right here. 
• Michaela from San Francisco will soon walk down the aisle. To prep, she’s trusting ChatGPT for a bridal glow-up! 
• Ken from Cleveland, Ohio, knew something was off. His Apple Watch flagged a pulmonary embolism his doctors missed. It saved his life. 

Plus, Shree raises money on GoFundMe, Susan stores family vids on YouTube, Tom gets ChatGPT image help, Jeff worries about a casino app, John thinks his phone has a keylogger, and so much more!

Take me on a walk: Listen to my show’s podcast.

Look out the window: Peek through someone else’s window from anywhere in the world.

🍣 Cook authentic Japanese dishes: Ever since I went to Japan, I am obsessed with their food. Find step-by-step recipes for your next meal.

📸 Colorize old photos: Use MyHeritage In Color to bring black-and-white family photos to life with vibrant colors.

✈️ Map out your next trip: Explore only the direct flight routes from any airport. I hate layovers.

See what’s on sale: Save big bucks using this secret link on Amazon that lists stuff you buy again and again.

🤗 So I stumbled across this random little review site on the internet, and what do I find? A sweet five-star review … from my mom.

I’m pretty sure she saw I had a 2 out of 5 rating (rude!) and decided to step in. Gotta love her.

🙏 If you’ve ever enjoyed my advice, my show, my newsletter or just want to make my mom proud, head over and leave me a nice five-star review, too. Let’s fix that rating together.

I think I’m at least a 4.5 on a good hair day. Go here and click the Write a Review button. Thank you and thank you, Mom. 🌻 (Sunflowers were her favorite flower.)

⚾ The answer is B) PitchCom. It’s a real-life gadget that lets catchers wirelessly communicate with pitchers using a buttoned wristband and earpiece. Basically, it’s like a spy movie met a Little League game and said, “Let’s get weird.” 

No more funky hand signals. No more decoding stares. Just encrypted baseball whispering tech. I couldn’t figure out why baseball kept getting so popular. Then it hit me. Oof.

Don’t risk your digital life over weak or reused passwords. NordPass makes it easy to stay safe online. No memorizing, no hassle. I trust it, and you should, too. Try NordPass today for $1.43/month and give your passwords the protection they deserve.

Tomorrow, how to stop forgetting things by using second-brain apps. It’s my goal to always keep you tech ahead with the best newsletter in the USA! You + me = unstoppable. Permission granted to crush it today. 💥👑— Kim

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