Retailers are getting really creative in how they get us to fill our carts. When I say creative, I don’t necessarily mean in a good way.

An estimated 79% of us shop online at least once a month, and 91% make purchases from our smartphones. Yes, me too. But how many of those purchases were manipulated?

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I cleaned out a cabinet a few years ago and found a stack of old Super 8 videos. I’ll never forget the way my Mom’s face lit up after I digitized videos of her late brother Harold Jr.’s wedding. Tragically, he died in a car accident not long after his wedding day.

Memories like that are so precious, but when was the last time you watched family videos? If they’re on VHS, it can be a pain. Even worse, every year that goes by, those tapes degrade a little more.

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I hate when ads take over websites. They pop up and distract you. So frustrating when all you want to do is read an article. Then, there’s the other big problem. All these website ads follow you around on different sites to track you.

But ads aren’t just annoying — they’re dangerous. Cybercriminals use them to spread malware, adware, spyware and everything in between. 

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Like it or not, your personal information is online for anyone to find. This can include your full name, address, phone number, police record, employment information and more. People search sites scrape this information from public records, court records, social media and other sources.

Many sites exist solely to offer such services. You only need a small piece of information, such as a person’s phone number, and from there, you can locate more information on them. Tap or click here for our running list of people search sites with instructions for removal.

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I admit it. Whenever I look for a recipe online, I get annoyed that I have to scroll, scroll, scroll. Listen, I know your grandma had the best chocolate chip cookies, and chicken soup healed your soul back in 1997. I just want the recipe.

Bright idea: Copy the recipe’s URL into Just The Recipe to strip away the junk. It’ll give you just the ingredients and steps you need. Even easier: On a PC, hit Ctrl + F and type “Print” to go right to the recipe. On a Mac, it’s Command + F.

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When you live with someone, you make a heck of a lot of choices together — big choices, like, “Should we sell our house and move to Thailand?” and small choices, like, “Should we buy this new recycling bin?”

Somewhere in the middle is an important, often infuriating step: “Whose email address should we use to log into Netflix?”

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Yesterday, my Daily Tech Update heard on 350+ radio stations about how EVs don’t like cold weather hit home with a ton of folks. You see, even if you charged up to prepare the night before, the battery could be dead or pretty close to it when you wake up. Wow, so many people told me they had no idea this would happen when they bought an EV. 

Yeah, it’s cold all across the country — Babbitt, Minnesota: -15°, Dubuque, Iowa: 3°, Sioux Falls, South Dakota: 6° and Chicago, Illinois: 10°. I’m freezing in Phoenix, where it’s 53° as I type, and I have a space heater on under my desk. (Insert wha-wha sound here!) 

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The airports? Crazy. The weather? Unpredictable. Travel is tough enough. But the FBI recently threw a wrinkle in the sheets with a new warning to avoid public phone charging stations.

Those charging kiosks in airports, hotels and malls can be big timesavers, especially for a family on the move. Good news! Owners promise they’re safe. The government disagrees — and so do I. Groan, I know.

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In my spare time, I am a bit of a horse trader in real estate. I have purchased and sold over 20 commercial buildings and homes at all price points. I’ve used realtors and sold properties myself. I’ve bought foreclosures and short sales. I’ve remodeled homes and purchased spec homes. I just completed building a new home on a lot that I eyeballed for 10 years. It’s my hobby.

I’ve been thinking there is a looming collapse of the Airbnb and Vrbo model. Desperate owners will need to get rid of pricey investment properties they can’t afford anymore. Why? Hotels have lowered prices, and people are tired of the hidden cameras and lack of amenities in many Airbnbs.

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Data brokers and people search sites are more than just a nuisance; they’re a downright menace. I’ve been sounding the alarm on these digital peeping Toms for years.

Imagine a vast web of data brokers lurking in the shadows, all with one goal: To mine and sell your personal info to anyone flashing cash. 

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Well, it looks like Aunt Sue bought you yet another ugly sweater for Christmas. Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?

Some of us tuck unwanted things away in a closet, and some return them. If that’s you, check the fine print. Many retailers are doing away with free shipping on returns. I did some digging to help during this busy season.

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Hello, from my kitchen to yours! I’m making this for Christmas dinner because it’s always a hit. Everyone loves a hearty, cozy slice. It’s like a hug in a bowl. And they don’t know it’s pretty darn good for them!

Grab your Instant Pot and let’s get cookin’.

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When my son Ian was 8, he refused to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. The kid was just too excited. But of course, I still needed to wrap presents and get a little sleep, so I called in some reinforcements.

Not everyone knows the North American Aerospace Defense Command gets in on the holiday spirit. Pass this along to anyone in your family with little ones. They’ll think you’re a genius.

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Forget getting everyone together at Christmas for a photo opp and having them all say, “Cheese!” Instead, use words that end in “ah.” These sounds put the muscles around the mouth to work, creating a genuine smile. Try “yoga,” “mocha” or “banana.”

Now, I’ve got more great tips you can use for your perfect Christmas pics!

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Travel is stressful, no bones about it. But with the right tricks up your sleeve, you can make things so much easier on yourself and anyone coming to see you. And that’s what I’m passing along right now.

So your trip isn’t a total suitcase-strophe! 

Little trackers use signals from other phones to determine where they are located. Toss one in your luggage and you can see whether it made it to your destination or point out to the airlines where they lost it.

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All I want for Christmas is to help keep your data safe. The bad news is there are a ton of cybercriminals out there doing their best to stop me.

Apple recently shared the results of a study from MIT on the growing threat of cyberattacks around the globe. A mindblowing 2.6 billion personal records were breached in 2021 and 2022. I’d say it’s time to act if you haven’t already.

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Ever replied to a spam message with STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE? If so, you’re setting yourself up for even more annoyance. You rightfully think that you’re ending the noise, but you’ll make it worse.

Why? Spammers are hitting up as many people as possible, searching for working contact information. When you interact, you’re saying, “Yes, this phone number belongs to someone!” That’s great news for them. It lets them know you’re a real person they should target more often.

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Newsflash: Your data is constantly being collected and sold. “Gee, thanks, Kim. I know,” you might be thinking. “What do I do about it?” Lucky for you, I spend a lot of time trying to answer that exact question.

If you’re tired of spam calls, unwanted emails and that nasty feeling of always being tracked, keep reading. I’ve got a simple way to take a massive chunk out of this data collection mess, thanks to our sponsor, Incogni.

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AI still has a long way to go, but I’ll tell you one thing: Writing with your voice is getting a heck of a lot easier.

Maybe you dictate text messages, but there’s so much more you can do if you start dictating for work, too. I’ll show you how, plus I’ve got some tips to make your spoken words shine on the page.

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Over the weekend, 10 million Americans across 11 states were under winter weather alerts. Yep, it’s that time of year already.

If your weather “forecasts” — quotation marks intentional — feel useless, I’ve got something you should know: Weather apps pull information from different data networks, and those networks vary in quality as reported by orgs like ForecastAdvisor. Some even vary by region of the U.S. I’ll show you the best to use depending on where you live.

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