Lonely kids, synthetic pals: This is so sad to me. A new report says a third of kids using AI chatbots feel like they’re talking to a real friend. A quarter say they turn to AI because they literally have no one else. Make sure the kiddos in your family aren’t one of them.
$340
The top-end price for a custom spell on Etsy. That’s right, people are shelling out grocery money for mystical assurance (paywall link). I get it, times are tough, but there’s no need to make it harder on your wallet. Hope, apparently, isn’t just a strategy, it’s a billable service on Etsy.
🖥️ Turn on dark mode in Windows 11: Out of the box, Windows 11 uses a light background with dark text. To switch it up, go to Settings > Personalization > Colors > Choose your mode and select Dark. Want more control? Choose Custom to set dark mode separately for menus and apps.
📅 Schedule emails in Gmail: Most people don’t know this, but you can write an email now and send it later. In the compose window, click the arrow next to the blue Send button and choose Schedule send. Select Pick date & time, fill in the deets, then click Schedule send again. Easy.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: When your cell service is acting up, switch on Airplane mode, wait a few seconds and turn it off. Your phone will reconnect to the nearest tower. Nice.
👋 Weekend chores are more fun with company. Catch my award-winning weekend radio show on a station near you. Not sure where and when? Enter your ZIP code into my handy-dandy station finder, or get my show’s podcast to listen on your schedule.
📱 Samsung S25 Ultra display fix: By default, it doesn’t use its highest screen resolution. Go to Settings > Display > Screen resolution, switch to QHD+ and hit Apply. Then go back to Display, tap Motion smoothness and choose Adaptive. It’ll use more battery, but everything will look way better. FYI: The price just dropped.
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🍏 Save a web page as a PDF: On iPad, let’s say you’re in Safari on a Wikipedia article. Tap the Share icon in the top right and select Print. Choose the Range (pages you want), then hit the Share icon again. Select Save to Files, choose On My iPad or iCloud Drive, and press Save.
🔦 Let there be light: On iPhone, you can control your flashlight’s brightness. Open Control Center, press and hold the flashlight icon, and wait for the larger beam slider to appear. Slide up to brighten or down to dim. Bonus: If your model has a multi-LED flash, swipe left or right to adjust the beam’s focus.
80%
That’s how accurately one dog sniffed out Parkinson’s, just from skin oil. Wow, right? In a double-blind trial, a lab-golden mix nailed 32 out of 40 cases of a disease that normally takes years to diagnose. No blood. No scans. Man’s best friend? More like neurology’s new MVP.
📞 AI’s on the line, fur real: Google’s Gemini bots can now phone your local pet groomer for you. Ask about prices, availability or just vibe checks, all without saying a word yourself. Only in the U.S., only for certain biz types (pet stuff, dry cleaners, auto shops), and yes, businesses can opt out. Gemini Premium folks get more AI call credits, because obviously money talks, and now so does AI.
Spot a Facebook Marketplace scammer? Do the right thing and report them. Click the listing, then go to Seller details > Report > Scam. While you’re there, select Block [name] profile and Hide all from [name] to stop their posts from showing up again.
$2 billion
That’s the massive chunk of change the former CTO (and briefly CEO) of OpenAI, Mira Murati, raised for her AI startup. Before it’s even shipped a product. The company’s called Thinking Machines, and it’s gunning to build the next-gen AI that can juggle text, images and more. Investors like Nvidia and a16z don’t need a demo, just Murati’s résumé and a good story.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want to paste text without weird fonts, colors or sizes? On Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + V. On Mac, hit Cmd + Option + Shift + V. Works in most apps.
💺 This idea is taking off: Forget flying on Wednesdays to save money on airfare. Delta’s letting AI set airfare based on what you personally might pay, i.e., how likely you are to cough up more money based on past purchases. About 3% of tickets use AI already. By year-end? 20%.
🍏 Rename multiple files on Mac: Got a folder full of random file names like IMG_2348? Select them all with Cmd + A, right-click and choose Rename. In the drop-downs, pick Format, then Name and Index and type something like “Hawaii” under Custom Format. Set Start numbers at 1, and hit Rename.
Free money waiting for you: You put money in and you should get money out. The National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits helps you find money being held by prior employers.
📧 Take back that email: In Gmail, you can undo a sent message if you move fast. Click the Settings icon > See all settings > General, then find Undo Send. Set the cancellation period to 30 seconds, scroll down, and click Save Changes. Next time you regret an email, just hit Undo.
17
How many tasks a robot nailed, solo, during a gallbladder surgery. Johns Hopkins’ new AI-powered bot followed instructions, learned from voice commands, adapted mid-op and even corrected itself like a good surgical intern. Only it never gets tired, flustered, needs snacks or even requests a student loan deferment.