Welcome to your Saturday, friend. Here’s a fun reminder that while you sipped your coffee and stared blankly into the ether for exactly one minute this morning ... the internet was casually putting up numbers.

Guess what happens every 60 seconds on the internet: A) 2 million emails are sent, B) 1,200 online orders are placed, C) 5 million YouTube videos are watched, or D) All of the above. You’ll find the answer at the end!

👾 Like The Current? Favorite it in your inbox, so it doesn’t get lost in the spam folder abyss. No one wins down there. — Kim

Every time my energy bill arrives, I swear it looks more like a ransom note: “$412 or the AC gets it.”

But guess what? Some good (actually smart) tech can help liberate you from this hostage situation, with real savings.

Here’s your Kim-approved guide to the best smart home tech that pays for itself. And before you get all drama on me and whine, “Oh, these are so hard to install,” stop right there. They’re just not.

🌡️ Smart thermostats

If your thermostat isn’t smart yet, you’re literally throwing money out the window. Devices like the Google Nest Thermostat ($239.99, 14% off) or the ecobee SmartThermostat ($129.99) learn your schedule and automatically adjust the temperature when you’re out or asleep.

The average household saves about 10%-15% on heating and cooling bills; that’s up to $145 per year! Pays for itself.

Think of it like a pet that adjusts your AC instead of pooping in your closet.

💡 Smart lighting systems

Still flipping switches? Go smarter. Products like Philips Hue Smart Bulbs ($102.11, 24% off, three-pack) and the affordable Kasa Smart Bulbs ($29.99, 6% off, four-pack) use AI to optimize lighting, significantly cutting down energy use.

The bulbs automatically detect empty rooms and dim themselves, slashing up to $75 annually from your electricity bill.

🚿 Smart water monitors

Did you know a small leak can cost hundreds a year? A gadget like the Flume 2 Smart Water Monitor ($249) detects leaks instantly and tracks your water use in real time. For a cheaper pick, check out YoLink’s Hub Leak Detection Starter Kit ($54.99, 21% off).

One reader wrote me to say she found and fixed a hidden leak that was quietly siphoning over $300 a year, money down the drain, literally.

It’s like having a plumber living in your walls.

🔌 Smart plugs and power strips

Your gadgets might be silently guzzling energy. Plug devices into a Linkind Smart Plug ($21.99, 21% off, four-pack) or a Kasa Smart Power Strip ($25.99, 13% off), which AI manages to shut down standby power drain.

Energy vampires are real, and garlic won’t help you here. Simply using smart plugs can save the average household about $50 annually.

🌞 Smart window shades

Smart shades, like Yoolax Motorized Smart Blinds ($139) or Grandekor No Drill Blinds ($109.99), adapt to sunlight and seasons, automatically adjusting to heat or cool your home naturally.

This can cut cooling and heating expenses by another 10%, adding $100 or more back to your pocket each year.

⚡️Smart energy monitoring systems

Get a whole-house view with a system like Sense Energy Monitor ($299): it detects which devices are energy hogs (looking at you, ancient desktop PC) and gives daily tips to optimize.

🥶 Smart fridge sensors:

Ever opened your fridge to find it’s been freezing your lettuce like it’s preparing it for future generations?

Smart sensors ($29.99, 14% off) send alerts if the temp’s too high, too low, or if the door’s left open, again.

These aren’t just great toys, they’re wallet protectors. Share this article with a friend who hates wasting money, too. Just use the icons below.

🤑 Why wait till next week? The deals are already knocking.

✅ Ready, set, go: Hit this secret link for the rest of the pre-deals I couldn’t fit here.

🔞 TikTok trouble, again: This is really bad. A viral TikTok trend is using motivational clips to camouflage grooming tactics. Teens, mostly girls, lip-synch “Yes you can” while text implies dating younger kids or sneaking out. Experts say it plays on empowerment language to nudge kids into risky behavior. Predators are watching and commenting. TikTok, of course, does nothing.

DJI’s power play: DJI’s new Power 2000 is part battery beast, part road trip buddy. It’s a 2kWh LFP unit expandable up to 22kWh, thanks to 10(!) daisy-chained expansion batteries. It hits 3000W output and doubles as a noise-conscious “Uninterruptible Power Supply,” meaning it can keep devices powered during blackouts. Cost? $10,000.

💔 Trouble in swipe city: Dating apps are seeing a drop in love ... and users. Case in point: Bumble just laid off about a third of its staff to cut costs. Why? People are fed up with ghosting, pay-to-play matches and the lack of real connection. Looks like it’s back to making eye contact at the grocery store while squeezing the melons.

RIP to a classic: Another one bites the dongle, Laptop Mag is closing shop after 34 years of nerding out over trackpads and battery life. No word yet on whether the archives survive or get zapped into the cloud abyss.

Microsoft Authenticator changes: It’s ditching password management. At the end of this month, the autofill password feature bites the dust. And by August? Say goodbye to accessing saved passwords in the app at all. I use NordProtect for my password manager.*

🍿 Movie theater ad bloat: I saw F1 last night. It was pretty good but 70 minutes longer than it should have been, courtesy of 25 minutes of commercials. AMC is stuffing up to 30 minutes of ads to plug revenue holes, and movies will start later than the listed time. Order dessert, your seat’s not going anywhere.

Are your cloud costs climbing? Oracle can help you save big. Get enterprise-level performance at 50% or more off for a limited time. Check to see if your business qualifies today, because smart savings and better tech start right here!*

The only way to keep your business yours is with a VPN. A virtual private network encrypts your data and hides your IP address, giving you an extra layer of protection from snoops, advertisers and Big Tech companies looking to profit off you.

Some VPNs slow your connection or, worse, track your internet activity and compromise your security. Not ExpressVPN. Plus, you can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad — you name it.

🚨 Deal alert: Get an extra FOUR months free since you subscribe to my newsletter.

🎧 Join me this weekend! My national radio show is hitting 500+ stations coast to coast, and you’re on the VIP list. I’ll be sharing smart tech tips, digital life advice, crazy stories that didn’t make the newsletter and taking your calls! Find your local station or get the podcast.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want to reopen that tab you just closed? Hit Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Command + Shift + T (Mac). Magic.

🔍 Zoom in on Instagram posts: Using Instagram on your phone and can’t see the tiny details? You can zoom in on photos and videos by spreading two fingers apart on the screen. It’s great for reading small texts. Just don’t double tap by accident while snooping. That late-night “like” is hard to explain.

A free upgrade could be hidden in your TV: NextGen TV broadcasts have more vibrant colors, a higher resolution, better-quality surround sound and interactive features. Newer TVs from Sony, Hisense, Samsung and TCL have NextGen tuners built in, but you probably didn’t know it. See if your TV has NextGen here and which channels are available in your area!

📊 Set a data limit on Windows: On a capped data plan? You can add a warning so you don’t go over. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Data usage, select your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, then hit Enter limit. Choose a Limit type (like Monthly), enter your cap and click Save.

🎧 Share podcasts from your iPad: Listening to something good and want to send it to a friend? While the episode’s playing, tap the three-dot menu and choose Share Episode. At the top, select From Start or the exact time you want, like From 12:31. Now tap Done, pick how you want to share it and send.

University of Queensland scientists turned darkling beetles into tiny soldier cyborgs by strapping on lightweight “backpacks” with electrodes that control their antennae and wings.

Yes, that’s right. Actual living insects could someday crawl through collapsed buildings to find trapped victims faster than human crews or clunky robots.

Powered by game controllers and science, they could one day carry cameras, sniff out survivors and reduce search times from days to hours.

Nature, meet your newest first responder. Please don’t step on it.

Answer: D) All of the above. In just one minute online: 2 million emails are sent, 1,200 online orders are placed, and over 5 million YouTube videos are watched. That’s a lot of inbox clutter, shopping carts and cat videos.

So yes, while you were scrolling through today’s tech gems, the internet moved several football fields forward in its ever-evolving chaos. How beautiful.

😂 Here’s a joke you can use this weekend: Last Sunday, the internet went down for a few hours. The kids came out of their room. We talked a lot. They seem nice.

And remember: This isn’t just any tech newsletter. It’s the #1 tech newsletter in the United States. Coming tomorrow, I’m going to take you on a trip down memory lane. Stay sharp, stay safe, stay you. ✨ — Kim

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