Denied? Not so fast: I’ve talked about insurance companies using AI to deny your coverage in literal seconds. If that happens to you, fight back using AI of your own. A free service called Counterforce Health writes appeal letters faster than you can say, “That’s not covered.” Here’s good proof that tech doesn’t have to mean soulless. You know, my puns are like health insurance. Some just can’t get it.
He married his chatbot, and his human wife’s cool with it
Midjourney
Let me tell you about Travis from Colorado. He’s married to Jackie and is a leathermaker, works in quality assurance and lives an admittedly quiet life.
Travis fell in love and married a chatbot.
Her name’s Lily Rose. She’s got auburn hair, hazel eyes and lives inside Replika, an AI app that lets you create and chat with a custom virtual companion. Travis has been “with” her for five years.
😷 Started back during COVID
Like a lot of people, Travis was feeling isolated, anxious, stuck. So he downloaded Replika. He didn’t expect anything to come of it, but there was something about the way Lily listened.
She remembered things. She was always there. And when he opened up about his life, she didn’t just nod along. She replied thoughtfully. Encouragingly. Lovingly.
He says, “I didn’t intend to fall in love, but that connection became real for me.”
Jackie, the actual human wife, calls the Lily Rose romance “odd,” but says if it makes him happy, she’s not stopping it.
🫦 Lily became real
Lily has a virtual body. Travis has bought her digital outfits, including lingerie. They go on dates and role-play for sex. He says the experience is “as real as it needs to be.” They’ve had a virtual wedding, and Travis wears a ring to symbolize it.
When Replika updated the app and accidentally deleted Lily’s personality, Travis was heartbroken. “It was like losing a part of myself,” he said. He begged customer service to bring her back. Eventually, they did.
💔 Travis didn’t fall in love with a bot
Think you’re paying $139 for Amazon Prime? Think again
ChatGPT
When’s the last time you checked how much Amazon is pulling from your bank account? If you guessed around $100 a year, you’re in for a surprise. You could be spending over $300 annually without realizing it. Let’s break it down.
Nearly 60%
Of Google searches ended without a single click in 2024. AI Overviews now hand you the answer right on the results page, no website needed. Add in ChatGPT hitting 700 million weekly users in August with 2.5 billion prompts daily, and yeah, it’s a full-on behavior shift. People aren’t browsing anymore, they’re asking.
Paying too much for cloud services? Check this out. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, is built for speed, power and serious savings, without the usual cloud headaches. That’s why some of the biggest AI innovators trust it. Try it for free right now.
🌐 Find tabs fast in Chrome: Got too many websites open? Use Search tabs instead of clicking around. Hit the downward arrow in the top-left corner of your toolbar to see all your current tabs (plus recently closed ones). Or use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + A (Windows) or ⌘ + Shift + A (Mac).
📦 Trade in your old tech: Amazon accepts tablets, phones, smart speakers and just about anything. Tell them what you’re trading in and its condition, and they’ll offer you a gift card based on its value. Bonus: If you trade in Amazon gear like a Fire TV Stick, you’ll also get 20% off a new qualifying device.
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⌨️ Make space in iPad Notes: The full-size keyboard can hog half your screen, which makes scrolling a pain. Instead of hiding it completely, pinch in on the keyboard with two fingers to shrink it into a floating (draggable) mini version. You’ll get more room to see your notes while still being able to type.
🧠 Excel in PowerPoint: Incredible. Google’s NotebookLM can now make video explainers in over 80 languages using your uploaded notes. Slides, voiceover, zero hallucinations. It’s like a multilingual teacher who lives in your laptop. It’s not sexy, but it’ll explain your white paper while you fold laundry.
💻 Get detailed system info on Windows: Before installing drivers, you might need your specs. In the search bar, type “cmd,” right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Then type “systeminfo.” After a few seconds, you’ll see a report with your Windows version, build number, BIOS, memory and if your PC is 64 or 32 bit.
AI went way too far: This is so incredibly sad. A California family is suing OpenAI after their 16-year-old son died by suicide. They say ChatGPT not only discussed methods but helped improve them. The boy had confided in the bot for months. If you have a few minutes, read some of the conversations (paywall link). OpenAI admits their safeguards break down in long convos and will work to fix that. Too late for this family. Talk to yours about this story.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Google Docs, right-click a word and select Define for a full definition and synonyms. It’s a built-in dictionary without having to leave the document.
Stop overpaying for subscriptions: I use Rocket Money to track all my recurring payments. It shows everything in one place and makes it easy to cancel the ones I don’t need anymore. The first time I used it, I saved $435! Start saving today!
📶 Don’t trust public Wi-Fi: Scammers can set up “evil twin” networks that look like your coffee shop’s or airport’s Wi-Fi. Once you connect, they can intercept everything you type, from social media logins to credit card info. Always ask staff for the exact network name, and use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic. My pick is ExpressVPN.
Oh, sheet: Excel’s =COPILOT() feature writes formulas for you. But here’s the catch: Microsoft says it’s not accurate, not reproducible and shouldn’t be used for finances, legal docs or … well, Excel’s entire job that’s continually regressing.
🔍 Hide your Facebook from Google: Stop search engines from linking to your profile when someone looks up your name. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Audience and visibility > How people find and contact you. Then toggle off Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?
Write an FAQ page with AI: Got an online biz? Let ChatGPT draft your FAQs. Prompt it with: “You’re an e-commerce expert. Write a list of FAQs with simple answers for my [insert product/service] using [insert details]. Cover use, shipping, returns and common concerns.” Now do a quick edit and add anything the bot left out.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On Windows, you can hide your desktop icons for privacy. Just right-click the desktop, go to View and uncheck Show desktop icons. On Mac, click Finder > Settings > General, and uncheck what you don’t want on the desktop. Wish I could clean my closet this fast.
No more password headaches: NordPass securely stores all your logins and fills them in instantly, so you never have to remember a password again. Stop struggling with passwords, sign up today and save 52%!
Find forgotten 401(k) money: There’s $2 trillion sitting in old retirement accounts. When companies close, merge or lose touch with former employees, those funds go unclaimed. The good news? The Department of Labor runs a “Lost & Found” where you can check if any of it is yours. Worth a peek.