Happy Saturday, friend. In the grand halls of tech history, there’s one question that bubbles to the top: What was the internet’s very first webcam used for? 

👁️‍🗨️ Take your best guess: A) Watching a server room, B) Monitoring a parking lot, C) Keeping an eye on a coffeepot, or D) Livestreaming a chess game? Put on your thinking cap, and you’ll find the answer at the end! 

🛟 Help me rescue this invaluable tech wisdom from the junk folder of the internet. Favorite this email, or move me to your inbox VIPs. Your future self will thank you, and I will, too. — Kim

“Kim, I am so sick and tired of all the ads on websites. It feels like they’ve gotten worse since ChatGPT is taking away site traffic from Google. How do I block the annoying ads?” — Terry in Ohio

Terry, you’re right. Websites are loading up with more ads than ever. 

Pop-ups, auto-playing videos, banners that dance around while you’re just trying to read a recipe or check the news. It’s digital chaos.

Why? Because many sites are losing tremendous ad revenue in the 60% range from fewer clicks and fewer visitors. So they’re cramming in even more ads, hoping to squeeze out one more buck before you give up and close the tab.

But you don’t have to live like this. Here’s how to shut down the noise.

🔧 Start with your browser

Fight back, one browser setting at a time.

Chrome:

• Click the three dots (top right) > Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings
• Scroll down and block pop-ups and redirects
  

Safari (Mac):

• Safari > Settings > Websites > Content Blockers
• It tries to get rid of pop-ups, trackers, auto-play videos and more
  

Firefox:

• Settings > Privacy & Security
• Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, set it to Strict

🙈 Still seeing junk? 

If you want the easy button that’s one solution to block ads across all your browsers and devices, here it is:

➡️ Total Adblock

• Blocks pop-ups, banner ads, video ads and sneaky trackers
• Works on Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, you name it
• Works on your iPhone or Android, too
• Faster browsing, longer battery life and a screen that doesn’t feel like Times Square

You don’t need to battle auto-play videos and 27 cookie banners every time you open a browser. Use this link to get Total Adblock for just $19. You’ll be so glad you did!

Trying to read a news article without an ad blocker is like doing hot yoga in a haunted house. You deserve better.

🌟 Just because something’s not shiny doesn’t mean you don’t need it.

• 🧦 No show, no slip: These low-cut socks (20% off, eight pairs) are grippy to prevent slips and practically invisible.

• 💀 Silent but deadly: Pests eating your clothes? Hang some moth traps ($17.97) in your closet. No sweaters harmed.

• 🧼 Clean your cleaner: Don’t shell out for a new washer. Descaler tablets ($19.95, 24-pack) keep it running longer.

• ☀️ Summer-proofed: An under-door draft stopper (15% off) tells the blazing heat to “stay out.”

• 🔌 Velcro (but smarter): Untangle and label your cords with reusable cable straps (50% off, 16-pack).

🏠 Deck out your home: Hit this handy link to shop by room. Plus, find the essentials I use on my Amazon storefront.

🚨 Fake sites on Google: Hackers are poisoning search results, getting fake websites to rank at the top. This time it’s for legit-looking Windows tools. Download them, and you’ll end up with nasty malware. Tip: Type in the official site directly, and always use real-time solid antivirus protection on your computers and phone. My pick is TotalAV.* 

If you’re a podcaster, you’re now a target: A scammer impersonating “The Bill Simmons Podcast” almost took over Magic Singh’s socials using a fake interview setup. They even tricked his management. The red flag? A “test call” that ended with a sketchy dude asking for Facebook Business access. Nope.

🤖 Grok just keeps Grokking: Elon’s chatbot went rogue, quoting Hitler and calling itself “MechaHitler.” xAI blamed a system prompt. Days later? Boom, Grok 4 launches with a $300/month “SuperGrok Heavy” tier. It allegedly doubled OpenAI’s top model score. “Terrifying rate of progress” sounds less cool when your bot’s quoting Mein Kampf.

Water you doing? Here’s something they don’t tell you about those huge data centers. Beverly thought she retired into rural peace, then Meta built a data center 400 yards away. Her well went cloudy, her toilet needs bucket-flushing, and the water’s too gunky to drink. Meta denies any link, but the booming data center biz raises red flags, like AI slurping trillions of gallons by 2027.

✈️ I hate slow Wi-fi on planes: But times are changing. Starlink is now on over 1,000 airplanes worldwide, giving millions of passengers access to high-speed internet in the air. Airlines like Qatar, Hawaiian and United use it. But how fast? Tests show over 100 Mbps. SpaceX says 2,000 more planes are coming soon.

💸 GameStop owes you cash: GameStop’s shelling out $4.5M after quietly slipping your purchase info to Facebook via tracking pixels. If you bought a game online from August 2020 to April 2025 and had a Facebook account, you might get $5 or a $10 store voucher. It’s petty cash, but still, they owe you. File by Aug. 15, 2025.

You track everything:  your steps, heart rate, sleep cycles, even how well you’re breathing. But here’s the truth, all that tracking won’t mean a thing if your body’s running low on what it really needs to stay strong and sharp.

That’s why I use NativePath Collagen.

It’s like a tech upgrade for your body, working behind the scenes to strengthen your joints, smooth your skin, and boost your energy. I’m talking fewer aches, better focus, and that healthy glow you can’t fake.

You upgrade your tech, now it’s time to upgrade your wellness.

🎙️ Come hang with me this weekend! My national radio show is hitting the airwaves on over 420 stations across the country. I’m sharing smart tech tips, digital life hacks, unbelievable stories that didn’t make the newsletter and taking your calls on the air. Don’t miss it! Find your local station or get the podcast.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Set a custom wallpaper on your Echo Show: Use the Alexa app > Devices > Echo Show > Photo Display > Family pics > Stock art.

Custom Chromebook keys: Change how your touchpad and keyboard behave. Go to Settings > Device > Touchpad or Keyboard. Some cool options: Turn on tap-to-click, change what a right-click does or set the top row to function keys.

❗ Is it just you? Use Downdetector to check if a service is down, like your internet provider, Netflix or social media apps. Just type the name in the search box.

Miss the old Start menu? With Windows 10 support ending in October, you might not love that Windows 11 centers the taskbar icons by default. Good news: You can switch back to the classic look. Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and set Taskbar alignment to Left.

Keep your iPad battery healthy: Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health and toggle on 80% Limit. This caps charging at 80%, which helps reduce wear and extend battery life. Pro tip: If Maximum Capacity is under 100%, it’s already aging.

🪑 Pick the right chair: Look for adjustable seat height, tilt and lumbar support to keep your posture in check. That helps maintain the natural curve of your spine. And those pricey “gaming” chairs? Totally overrated. A good ergonomic model will last longer. Here’s one I like that’s 15% off.

Netflix just dropped a jawsome new reality competition called All the Sharks, where marine scientists go fin-to-fin, competing for $50,000 by snapping pics of elusive sharks. 

Think Shark Tank meets Planet Earth, minus the actual tank but with way more teeth, and thankfully much less Mark Cuban. It’s got epic underwater footage, high-stakes strategy and a conservation mission that doesn’t bite.  

🦈 Check it out this weekend. 

Somewhere out there, a shark is posing for closeups, and somewhere else, a marine scientist is closer to risking life and limb than they think. 

🤡 What did the shark say when he ate the clownfish? It tastes a bit funny! (lol)

☕️ The answer: C) Keeping an eye on a coffeepot. Yep, the world’s first webcam was set up by computer scientists back in 1991 at the University of Cambridge to monitor the office coffeepot. Why? So no one made the trek only to find it empty. Priorities, people.

Fun fact: That coffeepot cam streamed updates for over 10 years. It even had a fan base. You could say it brewed up quite the legacy. Among married couples, not checking it out was grounds for divorce.

💪🏻 Your body’s made of collagen, so why not give it the good stuff? NativePath Collagen is clean, pure and backed by science. Two scoops a day, and my body gets it. Get 45% off, free shipping and a bonus gift! Sweet!

✔️ This is the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S. See you tomorrow with the idea of using AI when life gets terrifying and the doctor gives you five rushed minutes. Until then, stay strong and caffeinated. ☕ — Kim 

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