Besides the Car Pro Show and our weekly newsletter, my other favorite radio show and newsletter is Kim Komando’s. We are on many of the same radio stations across America. She does for her listeners and newsletter subscribers exactly what I endeavor to do: Give you useful information to keep you up to date on the latest in cars, only she does it with technology and there is nobody who does it better. Not sure how she puts out a top-notch newsletter seven days a week, but she does.
With her permission, I comb her newsletters each week and curate a list of her tips and advice that I think you'll find relevant and interesting. Here's what I have for you this week!
Tech Tips & Interesting Finds From This Week’s Komando Newsletters:
Plate expectations, broken: Two Pinellas County, Fla., sheriff’s deputies were arrested on felony charges of using police tools to look up people they were personally interested in. One ran a woman’s license plate through Flock’s camera network about 300 times. Their actions came to light after a reporter filed public records requests. Their own sheriff made the arrests. Insiders with logins are the risk nobody sees coming.
Aisle see you: Can’t find the cumin at Walmart? Pull it up in the Walmart app on your phone, walk to the aisle and tap “flash price tag.” The digital shelf label lights up right where the item sits. Walmart says Shop to Light has been flashed 5 million times since a summer test, and it’s headed to all stores before the holidays. Workers use the lights to stock shelves. Walmart says the labels don’t collect customer data. I guess I believe them, or I hear Santa does.
Can’t pick one kid pic for your wallpaper? Don’t. Let your iPhone rotate through all of them. In Photos, tap Select at the top right, choose your favorite pictures, then tap Share > Create Photo Shuffle Wallpaper. Tap the three dots to set how often they change, hourly, daily or every time you tap, then hit Add. Everybody gets screen time. Family argument officially avoided. (You’re welcome.)
Blood beats traffic: A drone could be the reason someone survives the worst afternoon of their life. Florida emergency crews are rolling out blood delivery by air, sending units to trauma scenes or hospitals without gambling on traffic. Minutes matter during crashes, shootings and childbirth emergencies, when severe bleeding turns the clock into an enemy. Same buzzing machine that hovered over wedding cake, except now it may help keep your spouse or child alive. Also feels like what Dracula would DoorDash. Watch video →
Touch comes back: Ten years after a man lost his arm in a construction accident, doctors gave him a replacement he can move with his thoughts to feel a handshake again. The Chicago-area patient is the first in the U.S. to receive the e-OPRA system. The prosthesis connects to bone and nerves instead of hanging from a strap. Helping someone button a shirt or hold a grandchild is tech I can cheer for. Oh, doctors. Give them a hand, and they’ll give back a whole arm.
3-second tech genius: Remote stopped working? Open your phone’s selfie camera, point the remote at the lens and press a button. A purple or white flicker shows it’s sending an infrared signal, so check nothing’s blocking the device. No flicker? Might be time for fresh batteries. Smacking it against your palm wasn’t much of a diagnosis anyway.
Two Big Macs walk into Fresno: One costs $1.20 more. Reuters found McDonald’s gives its stores AI-based price suggestions tied to what local customers are likely to pay. Two locations just 2 miles apart charged $5.69 and $6.89. That’s a 21% markup on the exact same burger. McDonald’s says owners set their own prices, but some say they feel pressure to follow the AI. Before you order, compare nearby restaurants in the app. I went to McDonald’s today. The ice cream machine was working.
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