It’s a beautiful Sunday to stay tech-ahead, friend. You plug in your phone every night, but charging it too long might be doing more harm than good. Here’s the question: What’s the best battery charge range to extend the life of your smartphone? A.) 0% to 100%, B.) 20% to 80%, C.) 50% to 100% or D.) It doesn’t matter anymore. Stick around for the answer. You might want to change your charging habits tonight!

🤩 Quick favor before we dive in: Hit Reply to this email and just say hello. It helps tell the Big Tech and internet provider algorithms that you actually want this newsletter. Weird, but true. Thanks for keeping me out of spam-land! — Kim

I love Google Maps. It’s one of those everyday tech tools that actually makes life easier. From finding late-night tacos to dodging traffic like a pro, it’s still the gold standard in navigation. (Sorry, Apple Maps, you’re catching up but not quite there yet.)

🗺️ Google Maps has charted nearly every inch of the planet, capturing jaw-dropping landscapes to hidden alleyways you didn’t know existed. And yes, every once in a while, it’ll still take you on the “scenic” route to work just to keep things interesting.

Along the way, its cameras have picked up some seriously strange and unexplained sights. Here are a few that’ll make you stop and think, “What on Earth is going on there?”

The desert ‘star’ of Kazakhstan

In a remote area of Kazakhstan, there’s a 1,200-foot five-pointed star carved into the land. Hello, conspiracy theories! We’re talking about secret societies and all manner of the occult.

But the real explanation? It’s an abandoned Soviet-era campground. The star is the outline of old walking paths. 

The mysterious ‘doorway’ in Antarctica

A weird rectangular formation spotted in Antarctica sparked wild theories about a hidden “doorway” in the ice. Is it a secret compound or a door to an ancient civilization? Oh, the stories it could tell. I bet it’s a natural phenomenon, say an iceberg melting in place.

UFO-ish structure in New Mexico

In a remote mountainous region of New Mexico, there’s a big, white, disc-shaped object the collective internet really wants to believe is a crashed alien ship. It’s been there since at least 2003, with signs of wear and vegetation over time. A rainwater catchment basin is my best guess.  

The island that ‘doesn’t exist’

There was once a mystery island in the Pacific Ocean that appeared on Google Maps but didn’t exist in real life. Sandy Island was marked on paper maps for over a century, yet when explorers tried to find it, there was nothing. 

Scientists later determined that a cartography mistake somehow made its way into digital maps. For years, people believed it was a real place that had mysteriously disappeared. Gotta admit, that story is more fun.

The mystery man

Out in the middle of South Australia’s dusty outback, Google Maps picked up something wild. It’s a giant geoglyph called the Marree Man. It’s over 2.6 miles long and shows an Indigenous Australian figure holding what looks like a boomerang or a hunting stick. 

Here’s the twist: No one really knows who made it or why. Some say it’s ancient Aboriginal art, others think it’s an elaborate modern-day hoax. Either way, it’s massive, mysterious and totally worth a zoom-in.

🇰🇷 Last year, I was visiting South Korea. I left my phone in the hotel room, and I had no map. Let me tell you, it was a true Seoul searching day. (I saw that smirk!)

🧽 Amazon’s Big Spring Sale has the tools you need to tackle spring-cleaning.

• No more wringing out dirty water by hand with this mop and bucket combo (20% off).
• Sit back, relax and let the Shark robot vacuum (45% off) do the hard work.
• Dusty gadgets? Use an air duster (25% off) to blast it all away.
• Polish your laptop with a cleaning kit (19% off) that gets into every nook.
• Speaking of, this mini car vacuum (34% off) is perfect for tight spots.
• Make your windows shine with an outdoor glass cleaner (25% off).
• Spritz some pet odor eliminator (22% off) for a fresh-smelling home.
• Hide cleaning supplies under the sink with a handy organizer (21% off).
• Washing machine cleaner tablets (17% off) tackle residue and grime.
• Smart, a laundry basket shelf combo (27% off) that looks like furniture.

🤧 Spring sniffles? Breathe easier with an air purifier (20% off) to filter out all dust and pollen.

• Buster Scher started a basketball blog for fun at the age of 14. Now he runs Hoops Nation and works with names like the NBA and MrBeast. In his newsletter called The Hobby Letter, he shares how to grow online and turn a side hustle into real income. Check his newsletter out! 

• Patrick from Colorado Springs got a shock. He found an AirTag hidden on his niece’s toy car after a trip to the park.
• Gene from Phoenix lost $800,000 to a crypto scam. It’s his life savings, and he wants it back. 

Plus, Kathy spots ghost jobs, Johnny wants to unlock a Facebook account, Greg buys a Temu smart ring, Sarah falls for a car scam, Becky analyzes her website with AI, and so much more!

⚠️ Sam’s Club data breach: We don’t know a lot, yet. The Clop ransomware gang listed Sam’s Club on its leak site. All Sam’s Club says is that they’re investigating the matter. Better to be proactive. Watch your credit card statements for fraud.

Ditch the algorithm junk: Facebook is adding a new Friends tab that only shows posts, stories, Reels and birthdays from people you actually know. No sponsored content, suggested posts or group clutter. Look for it in the navigation bar.

🧠 How every zombie movie starts: Scientists recently revived activity in a dead pig’s brain by pumping it full of a special chemical cocktail designed to mimic blood flow. The result? Brain cells started producing proteins and showing signs of life, but it wasn’t conscious. Now they want to try this on a human brain. Personally, I can think of a few better ways to spend science funding that don’t sound like a prequel to The Walking Dead.

📺 Lost the remote again? If you own a new 2025 Samsung TV and a Galaxy Watch 7 or Watch Ultra, control your TV with a flick of your wrist. Literally. Move the cursor by waving your arm, pinch your fingers to select apps, make a fist to exit or swipe the watch bezel to scroll. Neato!

About time: If your teen is using the AI chat app Character.AI, turn on  Parental Insights to get a weekly report showing how much time they spend on it, which bots they talk to and for how long. This comes after a heartbreaking case where a Florida mom said her 14-year-old son took his own life after forming a bond with a chatbot on the app. Bottom line: These AI friends aren’t always harmless.

Hackers can steal your home: With just a forged signature, cybercriminals can take out loans in your name, drain your equity and leave you with the mess. Click here to get a free home title history report, when you sign up using code KIM. You’ll also receive a free 14-day trial of their Million Dollar Triple Lock Protection.*

Have some free time today? Check out OpenAI’s Academy. It’s loaded with guides, live streams, videos and in-person events. You’ll find everything from how to build custom GPTs to crafting a storyboard. It’s free if you create an account. Check it out. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: AI won’t replace your job. Someone with AI skills will.

🎬 Keeping it reel: Gen Z is ditching big-budget TV and movies for social media content. They say it feels more real, more relevant and they trust creators over celebrities. Barry helped produce a feature film over a decade ago (Frontera — Watch it!), and it was tough then. Today? Getting a movie made is like climbing Everest in flip-flops.

Free up space on Windows: Storage Sense automatically clears out stuff you don’t need, like temporary files and whatever’s been sitting in your Recycle Bin. To turn it on, go to Start > Settings > System > Storage and toggle on Storage Sense. 

📄 Scan text into Notes on your iPhone: Open the Notes app, tap the Paperclip icon above the keyboard and select Scan Text. Now, point your camera at the text you want to capture. Once it’s detected, tap Insert to drop it right into your note. Quick, easy and no typing needed! 

Planning a trip abroad? Get the Smart Traveler app from the State Department. It includes updated official country info, like travel alerts and warnings, maps and U.S. embassy locations. Apple only. Android pals, find the latest travel advisories here.

No bars: When your cell service is wonky, switch your phone to Airplane mode, wait a few seconds, then change it back. This will reconnect you to the nearest cell tower. Sweet!

🥴 “What’d you say?” If you find yourself asking this more and more, it’s time to make a change. Forget the hearing aids your grandpa wore; today’s tech is so much better. These hearing aids* have two tiny processors that analyze the sound around you to make conversations crystal clear. Incredible.

Student in the family? A student Amazon Prime account is a heck of a lot cheaper than the regular price. Students get six months free, and then it’s half off a year ($69).

Better than email: Need to transfer photos, videos and docs from your Android phone to a Windows PC? Forget email. Use Google Share. It’s free and it works great!

🚶🏼Take me on a walk: Listen to my show’s podcast.

Spot the change: Figure’s humanoid robots no longer walk like they need to go potty. 

📺 Watch: Check out the Shorts on my YouTube Channel.

Brush up: Microsoft offers free online training for its Office programs, including video tutorials, interactive guides and practice exercises.

Make: A healthy spring salad. Which one is your favorite?

🐰 Get ready for Easter: Some really great things here. I am definitely doing baskets this year!

Ask me anything: I’m here to help! Got a question about tech, apps, gadgets, privacy or anything digital in your life? Drop me a line. I read every single note.

✅ The answer: B) 20% to 80%. Lithium-ion batteries don’t love being fully charged or drained. It wears them down faster. Most smartphones now have a setting to help. Steps may vary depending on your model.

• On iPhone: Go to Settings > Battery > Charging > toggle on Optimized Battery Charging. Your iPhone learns your habits and delays charging past 80% until you need it.
• On Android: Go to Settings > Battery and Device Care > Battery > More Battery Settings > Toggle on Protect Battery to limit max charge to 85%.

😂 Did you hear Honda is coming out with the first electric car with wireless charging? It’s called the Honda Accordless. (Was that a laugh?)

✌️ I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow to kick off the week with the best newsletter in the USA. I’m covering the security setting your bank wants you to use … but it could actually put you at risk. Have a wonderful day and do something for you! — Kim

📣 Don’t keep me a secret: with friends (or copy URL here)