Hi, hey, hello, it’s a great Sunday! Let’s start with a tidbit that’ll make you look like the smartest person in the room. Have you ever noticed some USB ports are red? These are your power players. Most red USB ports are “always-on” and pack a higher power output. Even if your PC goes to sleep, the red USB ports keep charging. Perfect for topping off your headphones or other gadgets overnight. Regular USB ports take a nap when your computer does. Now you know!

“Are password managers safe to use?” You’re smart to ask, and it’s the reason you need to be very choosy about what you trust. My pick, NordPass, has military-grade encryption, so no one is getting in. More below. On to the tech smarts! — Kim

This past week, someone called me a “f***ing MAGA c***” in the newsletter comments. That lovely reader didn’t leave a name (surprise) and clearly didn’t appreciate what I said about Stargate: “[The] announcement by President Trump, along with the biggest tech CEOs, is the most consequential technical project of the century.”

First, let’s address a question that lit up my inbox on Inauguration Day: “Why are all the tech CEOs surrounding President Trump?”

Inauguration: A reflection of the times

The presidential inauguration is a time capsule of who and what matters most in America. Seats go to the most powerful: Former presidents, military leaders, Supreme Court justices and others handpicked by the incoming president.

On Trump’s guest list? Tech titans including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla’s Elon Musk, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and Apple’s Tim Cook. Fun fact: Five of the top 10 richest people in the world were there, representing a combined net worth of over $900 billion.

It wasn’t long ago steel magnates like Andrew Carnegie or automotive tycoons like Henry Ford were center stage. Today, it’s tech CEOs. Why? Because government policies on data privacy, antitrust and AI shape entire industries. In other words, tech is driving our economy.

Stargate is a moonshot

This $500 billion investment, led by Larry Ellison, Sam Altman and Masayoshi Son, is the most ambitious AI project ever. Think of it as the tech world’s Apollo program, building a massive AI infrastructure and energy solutions to drive breakthroughs.

Stargate is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and revive U.S. chip production, which has fallen to just 12% of global manufacturing.

Revolutionizing medicine and more

Stargate’s AI is going to change medicine, for starters. It will detect biomarkers and DNA mutations signaling diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s many years before symptoms appear. It will also revolutionize:

The global AI race

China is investing $20 billion annually in AI to become the world leader by 2030. Let me tell you, the nation that dominates AI will define the future of geopolitics and economics. We need that nation to be us.

Sure, AI’s promise comes with risks. How do we ensure fairness in AI decision-making? Protect our privacy with a vast AI surveillance system? Address job displacement as automation grows? Let’s not forget AI data centers require an enormous amount of electricity, sometimes as much as what’s used by entire cities.

Despite the challenges, I’m hopeful. I want diseases to be a history lesson and innovation without bounds. Call me whatever names you want, but what I do on my national radio shows, podcasts and this newsletter isn’t and has never, ever been about politics. My mission is to share with you what matters in the tech world now and in the future. And we’ll have some fun along the way, too!

We’re all guilty of storing our passwords in the wrong places. A sticky note under your keyboard or stuck on your computer screen isn’t going to cut it. Keeping passwords out in the open like that is just as dangerous as having weak logins hackers can crack in seconds.

That’s why you need a password manager. With NordPass, you can:

Ditch the Post-its, and keep all your passwords stored in one safe place with my password manager pick, NordPass.

Plus, Dee makes an AI business plan, Chris needs a kid-safe browser, Sam worries about credit card skimmers, Tom wants disaster data protection and so much more!

Makes you not want to be a Good Samaritan: A Chicago couple, Drew and Leilani, wanted to help two strangers outside a Target who asked for money to bury their brother. They wouldn’t accept cash and insisted on Apple Pay. A few swipes later, the couple was out $4,500 instead of $20. Drew ran after the guys and landed in the ER with a broken arm. Morals of this story: Never hand your phone to strangers, and don’t try to be a hero. This could have ended way worse.

⌚ Watch out: Apple’s Watch bands might be packed with “forever chemicals” (PFAS) linked to cancer, birth defects and fertility issues. In a recent test, the toxic stuff turned up in 15 out of 22 bands. Apple insists they’re safe. FYI, the highest concentrations were in the more expensive bands; all the under-$15 ones were cleared. Here are safe options for Apple Watch and Fitbit. It’s not just watches; next week in this newsletter, I’ll tell you about PFAS found in the tech we use every day.

Silicon soulmate: Eliza Labs is bringing its AI chatbot, ElizaOS, into the real world. Eliza Wakes Up is a “productivity partner” that's part sexy librarian and part superhero. The bot is 5 feet, 10 inches tall; runs an eight-minute mile; and costs … wait for it … $420,000. Despite the pouty lips and exaggerated curves, the company says Eliza’s not made for anything NSFW. Yeah, right.

Burn notice: Fitbit is paying out a $12.25 million settlement after its Ionic smartwatches shipped with batteries that overheat. Apparently, Fitbit knew there was an issue in 2018 but waited four years to recall the watches. By then, 78 people were seriously burned, including some with fourth-degree burns. Submit your info for a refund, if you have one.

If you drive a Subaru in reverse, U‑R‑A Bus: Researchers hacked a Subaru and got their hands on its location history and its driver’s personal info, and they found they could lock and unlock its doors. It’s not just Subaru; a hacking competition paid almost $900,000 to folks who found 49 vulnerabilities in Android Auto, BlackBerry QNX, Tesla’s Wall Connector and others. They fixed all the issues. We need more of these hacking competitions.

🪵 “Stick Nation”: It’s a TikTok account with 2.9 million followers that ranks sticks found in nature, from wizard staffs to twisted twigs. It started as an inside joke between two buddies, Boone Hogg and Logan Jugler. Now, Stick Nation has 12.5 million likes, and even celebs like Lin-Manuel Miranda are in on it.

This is incredible: Google’s new AI feature lets people control Chromebooks using only head and mouth movements. It’ll allow folks with motor impairments to move a cursor, select options and write emails via text-to-speech. See it in action. So cool.

Do you bank on your phone? What about checking email and shopping? If you said “yes” to any of those, you’re a target. A keylogger captures everything you type, including your account numbers and passwords. Encrypt your keystrokes with EndpointLock. Hit this link for 10% off.*

🫥 “Temporary chat”: It’s an option in ChatGPT that’s kinda like Incognito mode for your browser. Find it at the top, where you choose your AI model. The same rules as Incognito mode apply: It’s not private; it just means those chats won't appear in your history or impact what ChatGPT knows about you.

“Kim, help!” Larry asked me how to track his camper. He considered an AirTag but doesn’t want a thief to get the “AirTag detected near you” notification. My pick? The Tracki Pro. It’s a GPS tracker that’s made in the USA, waterproof and easy to hide. It connects to phone and cell networks so you can always find it. Sweet!

🌲 When your backyard needs a makeover: Super-smart idea spotted on Reddit: Use Google Maps to see your space from a different perspective. Sketch the rough outline, then take a photo on your phone. Now you have a template. Print copies and start sketching ideas.

At least 10 of you will yell, “Heck yeah!” On Windows, hold down the Windows key + Shift + S to activate the Snip & Sketch tool. Select a specific area of your screen to capture as a screenshot. On a Mac, the comparable keyboard shortcut for taking screenshots is Cmd + Shift + 4.

Smile for the camera: The sweet spot to mount your video doorbell is 48 inches from the ground. Most doorbell cams have a wide scope, so you don't need to mount them any higher. If you do, you might get notifications every time the sun crosses your porch.

📘 It’s fundamental, Watson! Project Gutenberg features 75,032 e‑books free for the taking. Don’t have a Kindle or e‑reader? Put one on your phone and read instead of scrolling. Here’s “Crime and Punishment,” if it’s always been on your list.

🪄 Sometimes, the best solution is the simplest one.

I just bought more: The Pink Stuff is a miracle cleaning paste you can use on just about anything. Grab some while it’s on sale.

🤬 Mystery solved: Here’s one reason car insurance rates are hiked up.

Say goodbye: To Big Tech email tracking. Your ISP does it, too, if you use their email. StartMail is my pick for a privacy-first email solution. Save 60% with my special link, making your first year only $24.* So good.

Marvel: At award-winning photos of the Northern Lights. Incredible.

❄️ Try: A new weather app. See if one of these is more accurate than your go‑to.

Snuggle up: With a cup of hot tea. I’m obsessed with this one right now.

Need help? Let’s talk. Drop me a line if there’s something tech-related you want to know. The answer may end up here in The Current, or we can chat on my national radio show!

One for the road with all this talk about AI today … The teacher asked her students, “What do you wish to do when you’re all grown up?” Jason: “I want to be a pilot.” Tommy: “I want to make robots.” Danielle: “I just want to be a good mother.” Austin: “I want to help Danielle.”

⌛ Less than 1 second: That’s all it takes for hackers to crack a six-character password, even if you’re using a mix of upper- and lowercase letters and numbers. Stop risking it and upgrade to a password manager that creates and remembers long, strong passwords for you. You’ll be glad you did.

See ya back here bright and early tomorrow, my friend! Have a wonderful day and stay awesome! 😎 — Kim