Say hello to Monday, friend! Did you know “Alexa” wasn’t always Amazon’s smart assistant’s name? In its earliest development stages, it was called something altogether different. Was it … A.) Echofina, B.) Beza, C.) Laura or D.) Ivona? Make a guess, and you’ll find the answer at the end!

Hear ye, hear ye! Give yourself the life-changing gift of better hearing and stop blasting the TV volume, getting frustrated in conversations or asking people to repeat what they’ve said. Take a free hearing assessment right now to see if you qualify for a 45-day no-risk trial of top-notch hearing aids. You’ll be glad you did. — Kim

🆕 Today’s podcast: QR codes used in warfare

⏱️ Daily Tech Update: Let AI plan your movie night

It’s official: UnitedHealth Group confirmed over 100 million people had their health care and personal data stolen in a massive ransomware attack on a subsidiary, Change Healthcare. It’s a pretty safe bet your personal info and health data might be at risk.

Hospital systems get hacked and go down. Keeping physical records sounds old-school, but if digital systems are unavailable, this step could save your life. Let’s walk through how to do it.

Start with your meds

Make a detailed list of all your medications, including dosages and names, and keep both digital and physical copies handy. If you’re on an iPhone, the Health app is perfect — first responders can access it in an emergency. You can also try the Notes app and snap photos of your prescription bottles for quick reference.

Android users, Google Keep is a great option for this. If you order prescriptions online, check if there’s a list you can access there.

Bottom line: You should have a complete, accessible record of your meds for yourself and your loved ones. It could make all the difference in an emergency.

Move on to your medical records

These days, most health care records are stored in online patient portals, making them easy to access anytime. You can often request a printed or emailed copy directly from your provider. Just be prepared to wait.

To skip the hassle, try syncing your health records directly to your phone so they’re always at your fingertips. You can even download them as a PDF for quick access whenever — or wherever — you need them.

🍎 If you have an iPhone, here’s how to sync your medical records to your phone’s built-in Health app.

🤖 Team Android, Google doesn’t provide a built-in Health app as part of the phone’s operating system. All hope is not lost to get your medical records on your phone. Try the free CommonHealth app that connects with about 15,000 health care providers.

More health tech smarts

With data breaches on the rise, I’d be remiss not to share a few extra tips to protect your health records:

• Mind your EOBs: Carefully review your Explanations of Benefits (EOBs), which outline every medical service and claim filed with your insurance. Make sure no unauthorized services are billed.
• Set up alerts with your insurance provider: Many insurers let you set up account alerts to inform you of new claims or unusual activity, helping you stay aware of any unauthorized claims.
• On Medicare or Medicaid? Double-check your claims history through MyMedicare.gov or request a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN). Medicaid users can access their claims through their state’s Medicaid website.

If you’re a caregiver or in a position where you have one, here’s a super-helpful resource for accessing medical records and giving access to family.

⭐ Phew, that was a lot to cover. Go forth and share this important intel with those you love.

Look closely! The European-engineered Horizon IX by hear.com is so powerful, yet so sleek, it’s practically invisible.

But stealthy hearing isn’t the only reason 400,000 Americans chose this hearing device — it’s also one of the world’s first dual-processing hearing aids, separating noise and speech to deliver unheard-of clarity. Don’t believe it? Horizon IX was even featured in The New York Times, Morning Brew and Forbes for its:

• A+ BBB rating and a 4.95 out of 5 rating with Consumer Affairs
• Bluetooth/smartphone connectivity and rechargeable battery
• Award-winning customer service
• Insurance and flexible financing options

💬 Never back down: A Utah man was denied a $3,000 payout that’d been confirmed by his home warranty provider’s chatbot. The warranty company claimed its bot was “miscommunicating.” Not having it, the man took his complaint to Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection, which said a chatbot counts as a company representative, making it responsible. PSA: Screenshot every online chat in case you need proof later.

Don’t Google these words: A couple searched for “pressure cooker” and “backpacks” on the husband’s work laptop. (I know, right?) Of course, this search got flagged by his IT department … because they’re both homemade bomb ingredients. Just a reminder: Your IT department knows everything you do on a company-issued device.

🎮 Wargaming with the pros: This is interesting. Militaries around the world are playing a video wargame called Command: Professional Edition to simulate battlefield scenarios. It lets them test strategies and explore hypotheticals like nuclear warfare (paywall link). The kicker? It was originally made for gamers; its creators had no military background.

Hardware nerds are snapping up old Redbox DVD machines: They’re figuring out how they work and trying to release the movies still inside. But there’s a weird issue — nobody can get the 1996 disaster flick “Twister” out. It’s a problem across all kiosks, with theories ranging from a licensing dispute to a software glitch. What in the hail?

👔 Verify your LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn has verified over 55 million accounts. The platform says verified profiles are seeing 60% more views, 30% more connection requests and a 50% boost in post engagement. Bonus: If you’re hiring, use the hashtag #Hiring on your profile photo, and here’s my special link* for a free job posting. Nice.

It’s gaining traction: Pirelli and Bosch have teamed up to create a “cyber tire” loaded with sensors to track the temp, pressure and road conditions so your car can adjust instantly. What a plus for hydroplaning (when tires lose grip on wet roads). Someday, these tires will talk to other tires to warn them about road conditions. Can you imagine? “Hey, watch out for the pothole!”

The next big app? You heard about it here first. Gen Z is buzzing over a new messaging app called Daze that’s set to drop on Nov. 4. With over 200,000 people already on the waitlist and promo videos racking up millions of views, the hype is real. That’s the thing about tech: There’s always something new coming.

NYC to London in 1.5 hours: NASA’s officially working on commercial aircraft with speeds between Mach 2 and Mach 4, or from 1,535 to 3,045 miles per hour — twice the F/A‑18’s Mach 1.8. That’s so fast your in-flight peanuts will catch up with you at baggage claim. Booking my trip now!

✈️ These affordable gadgets will make your next trip smoother.

• Can’t sleep in hotels? Try a portable white noise machine to block thumps and bumps (33% off, $19.99).
• A phone holder that attaches to anything, including your suitcase, plane seat or hotel bed ($13.97; click the coupon box for 8% off!).
• Fit more in your suitcase with space-saving bags you can roll the air out of, no vacuum required ($15.76).
• Before international travel, make sure you can plug in your stuff. Each option here lists what countries it works in (6% to 28% off).
• Protect your credit card and keep it close with an RFID-blocking wallet bag. It clips around your waist, and it’s slim enough to fit under your clothes (20% off, $15.95).
• A $12 luggage scale might save you from a huge overage fee if your bag is too heavy.
• Attach an extra bag to your suitcase with this strap so it can’t fall off (50% off, $6.99).

Your cell signal stinks: When you need to make a call, there’s a quick fix that works. Wi‑Fi calling uses your internet instead of a cell signal. On iPhone, head to Settings > Phone > Wi‑Fi Calling. Steps for Android vary based on your phone’s manufacturer, but try this: Go to your Phone app, click the three dots to open Settings, then find Wi‑Fi calling.

Leave your printer on: Turning off your printer can trigger maintenance tasks when you turn it back on, which sucks up expensive ink. Instead, let your printer go into energy-saving mode when it’s not in use.

🇷🇺 So long, comrade: The U.S. government banned Kaspersky Labs’ security software because of its direct ties to the Kremlin. If you’re using Kaspersky for antivirus protection, you need to stop now and try my antivirus pick instead.*

Stop squinting: Just make your text bigger! On an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Next, tap Larger Text and enable Larger Accessibility Sizes. A slider at the bottom of the screen lets you increase or decrease the text size. On Android, open Settings > Accessibility > Text and display > Select font size, then adjust the slider. (Note: These steps may vary for Android, so if you can’t find ‘em immediately, just poke around under Accessibility.)

🎀 Now, where did I leave that? Bookmarks in Google Chrome are searchable. Click in the address bar at the top, enter @bookmarks, then type as much as you remember about the name of the page to look for it.

And, speaking of which, there was this in the ‘80s …

The answer: D.) Ivona. That was the name of a Polish text-to-speech company Amazon acquired in 2013. Ivona was used as the foundation for Alexa’s voice technology. Imagine saying, “Hey, Ivona, turn off the music!”

🇵🇱 One laugh for your day: A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver’s license. First, of course, he had to take an eyesight test. The optician showed him a card with the letters C, Z, W, I, X, N, O, S, T, A, C and Z, all in a row. “Can you read this?” the optician asked. “Read it?” asked the Polish man. “I know the guy!” (Good one, right?)

Before you go: Stop struggling to hear the TV, your friends, family and everything else. Hear.com’s hearing aids aren’t like the ones Grandma or Grandpa used. I like they have a rechargeable battery, and you can take phone calls right on your hearing aids. Take a free test to see if they’re right for you.

Thanks for reading — really. I’m proud to be in your inbox each day. See you back here tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. — Kim