Hi there. Friday looks good on you! I’m jumping in today with a fun fact you can use. Way back in the ‘60s, an Air Force electronics technician used a whistle — one he got from a box of Cap’n Crunch — to take over phone systems and make free long-distance calls. I’ve got more about this at the bottom of this email, just in case you’re thinking, “Wait, what?”

I’ve cried almost every day this week — cried laughing. My new daily video podcast is a blast. Stream it live at 11:30 a.m. Arizona time on YouTube, Facebook or Rumble. Today, we’re talking to a tech mogul who’s spending $2 million a year to stay 18 years old … but he’s 46. See you there! — Kim

How bad are we at creating safer passwords? The latest data shows a whopping 75% of people worldwide don't follow password best practices. We should know better … and yet, 84% of us reuse our passwords.

Why do I harp on this so often? You can blame over 80% of data breaches on weak or repeated passwords. Maybe you've never experienced the horror of identity theft, but let me tell you, it's bad.

Now, since you're totally going to change your passwords after reading this, let's make sure your new one is bulletproof.

The blocklist

Get this: Over 153 million passwords from leaked databases contained a curse word. Stay away from passwords with food items, too, especially “ice,” “tea,” “pie,” “cookie” and “cake.”

Beyond that, the most commonly cracked passwords include:

• 111111, 12345, 123456, 12345678, 123456789, 1234567890, Qwerty123, 1q2w3e, Q2w3e4r5t

Popular names, sports teams, seasons and vacation destinations are also major no‑nos:

• Eva, Alex, Anna, Max, Ava, Ella, Leo, Suns, Heat, Liverpool, Rome, Lima, Friday, summer, winter, KimKomandoIsTheBest (I threw that in to see if you’re paying attention!)

And don't make your password the word "password." It’ll be a nice day when I never have to say that again.

Wondering how criminals hack passwords?

Their methods aren't all that complicated. Take the “dictionary attack.” This is when hackers use programs to automatically try every word in a "dictionary," a small file with the most commonly used passwords. You know, like the ones listed above.

A “brute-force attack” is when hackers try every possible character combination in an attempt to guess your login. Spoiler: It works way too often. And don't even get me started on how easily AI password crackers can get the job done.

Lock it down

Review this list and share it with someone who's still relying on "password123."

• Use a password manager so you won't have to remember complex logins. There are a ton of options, including TotalPassword (just $19 using my link!), Bitwarden and 1Password.
• Use the free password managers built into your web browser. A standalone password manager is more secure, though.
• If you create a password the old-fashioned way, the longer, the better — combining letters (upper- and lowercase), numbers and symbols.
• Never store your passwords in a visible or easily accessible place. I’m talking to all of you still using Post‑it notes. Barry uses this $5.99 book to write down his passwords, then he locks the book away.

😆 I used to store motivational quotes in the cloud for those moments when I needed some inspiration. Then, I forgot the password for my Google account. Now, I have no Drive. (Dang, that was good!)

There’s a lot that gets better as we age. Hairline and thickness? Eh, not so much. The good news is today’s shampoos and treatments are better than ever.

• Minoxidil has been clinically proven to show hair regrowth in three to six months by boosting blood flow to hair follicles. Treatments require a prescription, and they’re unavailable over the counter or in regular stores. Gals, check out Hers. Guys, try Hims.
• Happy Head offers a free consultation with a board-certified dermatologist. Then, they create a customized formula based on your needs. Everything ships to your house in discreet packaging.

🧑‍🦲 For the record, bald is beautiful! I don’t want any mean messages suggesting I can’t stand bald folks or thinning hair.

🔍 Privacy, schmivacy: Security researchers found iPhone apps like Facebook, TikTok and X are harvesting data through notifications, of all things. Even just dismissing a message triggers a data grab, like the last app you opened. It never stops …

History comes alive: Imagine college kids yawning through lectures from holographic Einstein or Coco Chanel  — not just their boring professors. Lifelike 3D guest speakers from history could pop up in classes by 2025. I feel a tuition bump coming.

🔔 Ring-a-ling: Ring is ditching its “Request for Assistance” tool. Now, cops will need a warrant for your doorbell vids. But in certain emergencies, like kidnappings or attempted murders, they’ll be able to peek without asking.

Like “Star Trek's” Holodeck: Disney's HoloTile floor could be the next big thing in VR. Imagine an omnidirectional treadmill built right into the floor, keeping you centerstage in the virtual world. Walk, run and explore without smacking into your coffee table.

🔒 Convenient timing: Just in time for their Senate show-and-tell, Meta is tightening up teen safety on Instagram and Messenger. New rule: No DMs from strangers for kids under 16. Parents are getting more account controls, too.

I’m channeling Marie Antoinette: Google's Art Selfie 2 turns your selfies into famous painting styles. Think “Georgian Era” to “Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs.” Snap a pic, pick a style and voila. Try it out in the Play tab of the Google Arts & Culture app for iOS and Android.

It’s not Taylor Swift: Explicit AI-generated fakes of her are spreading rampantly across X, with one nasty post hitting 45 million views. Swift hasn’t commented, but loyal fans are spamming X with real pics and videos to hide the deepfakes.

📚 Kindle freebies: Prime members can grab two free Kindle books — mysteries, romances, nonfiction, whatever you like. Not a Prime member? You can get ‘em for $1.99 each (still a sweet deal). Ends Jan. 31, so hurry.

Depending on your hearing and the layout of your home, some sounds might get past you. Your phone can help by alerting you to noisy things like barking dogs or broken glass.

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound Recognition, then enable sound recognition by sliding the toggle to the right.
• Tap Sounds and turn on the sounds you want your phone to recognize.

On an Android phone:

• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound Notifications.
• Tap Open Sound Notifications, then Turn on. You’ll need to allow permission to record audio.
• Tap the cog icon. You can choose what sounds you want to be notified of and how.

“But why?” Confused about an answer AI gave you? Channel your inner toddler and ask why. This gets the bot to send you sources and background info. Handy!

🦑 Hello, "Squid Game." Open the Netflix app, type "Netflix" into the search bar, and voila — you'll see a list of all original Netflix movies and series. "Ozark," "Black Mirror" and all the rest at your fingertips.

Pixel perfect: Samsung’s Quick Share and Google’s Nearby Share can finally interact. After the latest One UI 6.1 update, you can transfer a file to anyone using an Android phone, not just other Samsungs.

💕 Every day, you send the exact text: “On my way, love you!” On your iPhone, make it faster. Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Set “omw” to autofill to that longer note.

Only you can prevent garbage fires: Batteries, especially lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium types, should be taken to a hazardous waste collection center — not tossed in the trash. Use this handy site to find a spot.

Finding and canceling all your subscriptions is a major pain. Rocket Money is an app that does it for you. It hunts down subscription services and makes it super easy to cancel the ones you don’t use. I did it and saved $456.76.

It only takes a few minutes and you’ll finally get rid of that nagging feeling that you need to cancel all the stuff you’re not using.

Save yourself time and trouble and use Rocket Money. It’s worth it.

If Batman wasn’t rich, he’d be “robbin’.”

What the Crunch? Yeah, a smart guy named John Draper knew certain tones could bypass telephone systems. Turns out Cap’n Crunch’s Bo’sun whistles played the perfect tone for this, at 2600 Hzs. Full story here!

Speaking of … What brand of cereal is the strongest? Mini Wheats, because they’re shredded.

🤗 Thanks for being here. Want to see something specific in this newsletter? If it’s digital, I’m your gal! Drop me a note or reply to this email. I’ll be back tomorrow with the best newsletter in the USA! Tell a friend about me, please. — Kim