Kim Komando Daily Tech Update

Slowing AI data centers could have unintended consequences, especially among the biggest tech companies. Plus, we help Bruce find safe ways to earn extra money with AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your library card can get you free movies, music, and audiobooks . Plus, a Kentucky school sent home AI-generated maps with garbled state names, like “Ven-eck-ee,” and Amazon is reportedly scanning and discarding books to train its AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of voters said no data centers on Election Day. We'll talk about the national advocacy groups that helped organize it. Plus, how to keep your smart home running in a power outage and the phrases that get you past an AI phone bot to a human. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hungry on the road? Gemini is now built into Google Maps, and it's rolling out to Apple CarPlay, so you can ask for a restaurant hands-free. Plus, you can chat with ChatGPT through CarPlay, and AI can audit a car quote for hidden fees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Forward Deployed Engineer is one of the most popular job in tech right now. I’ll explain what it is. Plus, we help Steve figure out which careers will hold up as AI takes over more work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your kid racked up a $100 charge on game coins, and you may be able to get it back. Plus, we talk about how a nine-year old Minecraft YouTuber spent $118,000 on ads with his dad’s corporate credit card. Yikes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Election Day! After all the high-tech vote counting, some states pick ballots to audit by rolling 10-sided dice in public. I’ll explain how it works. Plus, Joe says his two-word trick ends robocalls nine times out of 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your furnace has a birthday, and a photo of the label is all AI needs to decode it. Plus, Consumer Reports found each smart appliance it tested sent up to 135,000 text messages a week to their makers. We break down what’s in them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Google Beam units are heading to USO locations around the world so deployed troops can see their loved ones in life-sized form before the holidays. Plus, drones are the new fireworks. 17x Guinness World Record holder Sky Elements tells us how it’s done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Signature mismatches were the top reason mail ballots were rejected in 2024. Most states let you track yours online. Plus, we talk to Pamela about her fight against a data center planned on land that was promised as a park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Electric vehicle sales are slumping, but battery makers are busier than ever. I’ll explain why. Plus, we talk to Stanley about how he ended up with a $418 EV charging bill instead of a $22 one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your phone sorts your pictures by face. You just have to tell it who’s who. I’ll show you how. Plus, we help Renee digitize her family’s photos after wildfires force her to evacuate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The company said it would never build a touchscreen laptop. Now it has. Plus, we talk about three Apple Watch tricks and the viral trend of wearing your watch on your ankle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friends and family don’t have to miss out on Halloween. Newer iPhones have a dual camera trick and Android lets you flip the camera during video calls. Plus, we’ll talk about how to turn your pet into a pumpkin stencil with AI, make your house look haunted, and meet a 3,156 pound pumpkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Midterm voters in 13 states will decide on AI data center measures. Blocking them is like refusing telephone poles in the 1920s. Plus, we talk about my visit to a data center and how the FCC may allow AI political robocalls to your cellphone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your forgotten old logins still have your password. I’ll tell you how to find and delete them. Plus, we talk about how an AI startup built a zombie shooting video game set in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood in one weekend, and Character. AI filed for bankruptcy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple's first foldable phone is going viral for its cracked screens. Thankfully it's not every phone. Plus, we talk about Apple's new smart home display and the Homepod mini 2, and how a thief stole dozens of empty Mac mini boxes. A heist for nothing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You pay $139 a year for Prime, and most people only use the free shipping and video. Several perks may be going unused, like free Grubhub Plus, cheaper gas, a free Kindle book every month, and more. Plus, we help Michael figure out his mystery refund texts. Sounds phishy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than three out of four New York crosswalk buttons do nothing. From elevator-door close switches to swiping apps closed, plenty of buttons are fake placebos. Plus, we help James figure out when it's worth paying for AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can’t find your car? There are three key fob hacks that sound fake but work. Plus, we talk about Google’s top emojis and Gen Alpha slang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before buying an AI-powered smart toy this Christmas, think twice. Kid chats from a toy sold on Amazon were reportedly leaked online, including profiles of American children. Plus, we help Nancy surprise her sons with Bitcoin as a holiday gift. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan’s kids think a Tesla would be safer than her driving. The catch is in the name: Full Self-Driving, Supervised, and supervised means you, the driver. Hear what you should shop for instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scammers are spoofing the FBI’s real number and real agents’ names. There's one giveaway that tells you it's fake. Plus, Ralph at WTOP and I talk about why AI agents go rogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stuck in a phone setting? Gemini can see your screen and walk you through it for free. Plus, a strange, pulsing sound in her ear led Mary to ask ChatGPT about the cause. Her doctor found it was a 90% blocked artery and it could’ve caused a stroke. Mary shares her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A class action claims Samsung TVs capture your screen twice a second and sell the data to advertisers. Turning it off takes 15 clicks. Plus, we talk about Dallas putting AI cameras on garbage trucks to spy on your lawn and noise cameras mailing tickets to loud cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices