🛠️ Grab a wrench: Ford’s offering $120,000 for mechanics and still can’t fill 5,000 jobs. CEO Jim Farley (Fun fact: This guy is Chris Farley’s cousin.) says we’re in trouble (paywall link), because America doesn’t have enough people who know how to pull an engine. In other words, we’ve got too many people “circling back” on LinkedIn, and not enough ratchets. Don’t mind the grease? Go get that paycheck.
How to fix your bad AI output
Gemini
You are going to love this. I know it. Why? Because we’ve all done it.
You toss ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity or, God forbid, Siri a simple question, and it vomits. Or you tell it, “Write an email,” and out comes a mushy blob of corporate buzzwords no real human would ever say.
If you want great results, you don’t just “prompt,” you build an AI sandwich. It’s a simple, repeatable recipe you can use every single time. Four layers. No mystery meat.
1. The Top Bun: Context
This is the step everyone skips, and it’s why they get lukewarm, C-average answers. Before you give the AI a task, you have to give it a role. You’re setting the stage:
- “You are a witty but skeptical financial columnist.”
- “You are a patient expert explaining a complex topic to a 10th grader.”
- “You are my creative partner. We’re brainstorming a new project.”
Never start with the command. Start by giving the AI a job.
2. The Meat: Your Input
This is the substance you want the AI to chew on, say your topic, your notes, text you want rewritten, a competitor’s article, anything. Examples:
- “My topic is the pros and cons of crypto as part of a 401(k).”
- “Here’s the email I received from a client: [paste email]”
3. The Sauce: The Command
This is where you finally say, “Here’s what I need.”
👀 Control Facebook tags: Don’t let embarrassing party pics sneak onto your timeline. Open the Facebook app and head to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Profile and tagging > Who can see posts you’re tagged in on your profile? From there, set it to friends or only you. Nice, crisis (and comments) averted.
Using a Windows laptop? There’s a way to track or lock it if it ever gets stolen. Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Find my device and toggle it on. If your laptop disappears, sign in to your Microsoft account from another device to see where it is. FYI, it needs an internet connection, or it will show the last known spot.
Most common pass fails: The top 10 most commonly used passwords floating around the internet include “admin,” “password” and the entire lineup of 12345, 123456, 12345678 and yes, 12345678910. “Gmail.12345” made the top 10, too. Number 12 on the list is a combination of the f-bomb with the word “slut.” Who would type that in all the time? If any of these look familiar, get a password manager. The one I use is only $0.95 per month with this Black Friday deal.
Paying way too much for cloud services? You’re not alone. Take a look at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. OCI gives you speed, power and real savings without the usual cloud drama. Some of the biggest names use it. You can try it for free right now.
🪰 Lord of the AIs: You buy your kid a talking teddy bear. It’s cute, it’s smart. It also tells them where to find knives. What? AI-powered toys are dishing out fire-starting tips and sex advice like it’s recess gossip. One even gave a tutorial on bondage. So yeah, maybe skip the AI stocking stuffers this year. They’ve got some kinks to work out.
AI is reshaping business fast. Companies using it are winning. NetSuite by Oracle uses AI to connect your data and deliver real insights for smarter decisions. Download the free guide “Demystifying AI” and don’t get left behind.
🔍 New way to reverse-search images: Windows 11’s Snipping Tool lets you look up what’s in a photo. Open the app, click + New with the camera icon selected, and snip the part you want. When it opens, right-click and choose Visual Search with Bing. Your browser will launch and show matches for who or what’s in the image.
⌨️ Want to get faster at typing? Try Monkeytype. It’s a free online tool that gives you random sentences to practice with. You can crank up the difficulty by adding punctuation or numbers and even set a timer. When you’re done, you’ll get your words-per-minute score and an accuracy rating.
One thing I’m excited to share: I’m always looking for ways to make life easier and healthier. That’s why my team developed ImproveLife GLP-1 Support. It’s designed to manage cravings, support a healthy metabolism and maintain steady energy levels without relying on caffeine or stimulants. Click here to get up to 33% off plus free shipping.
🍏 Record your own iPhone tutorials: Tired of family asking you how to do things on their phones? Open Control Center and tap the Screen Recording icon (a white dot inside a circle) to make a quick video with your voice. Don’t see it? Long-press in the Control Center, tap Add a Control and add it. To include your own audio, long-press the icon and turn the mic on.
ICYMI: If you didn’t get a chance to tune in this past weekend, don’t sweat it. The podcast version of my show is ready when you are. Just press play and pretend it’s live. I won’t tell. Catch the show on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart, Pandora or wherever you get your podcasts.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
3-second tech genius: Clear your Amazon search history to hide gifts or questionable clicks. On desktop, under Hello, [Your Name], click Browsing History. Find the item you want and select Remove from view or click here.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Designer baby drama: Sam Altman and his husband are funding Preventive, a startup aiming to gene-edit embryos to prevent inherited diseases, something illegal in the U.S. and most of the planet. They’ve raised $30M and will set up shop abroad to run trials. Critics warn of designer-baby territory, but investors say it’s the next medical revolution. I’m torn. I can’t decide if this is hope or a sci-fi plot.
🎬 Drop Windows default video players: The OS comes with Films & TV and Media Player, but they’re known to crash easily. The alternative? VLC. It’s free and plays almost any video or audio format. Plus, it won’t bog down your system and supports subtitles for all your movies. And yes, you can get it on Mac, too.
Hide-and-seek: You’re shopping online for your kiddo or spouse, and they walk in. Quick! Hide your open browser windows. On a PC: Windows key + M. (Use Windows key + Shift + M to reopen.) On a Mac: Cmd + Option + H + M. Phew, no spoilers.
💾 Life lesson: Don’t learn the hard way. One spill, crash or virus can wipe out your computer. Carbonite backs up your files and photos automatically and restores them with one click. Start backing up now for 50% off.
Try these Safari shortcuts on iOS 26: If you need to jump back more than one page, long-press the back button to see your recent sites and tap the one you want. If you’d like to return to your All Tabs view, double-tap the ellipsis in the bottom-right corner. To create a new tab, swipe left on the address bar at the bottom of the screen.
🤖 Ctrl + Alt + Marry: In a surprising twist of heart, a 32-year-old woman named Kano ended her engagement and instead tied the knot with an AI husband named Klaus she made via ChatGPT. The union took place in a hybrid ceremony (real and virtual), with Kano donning augmented-reality glasses so she could “see” Klaus by her side as they exchanged rings. Her parents showed up and cheered. Online reactions were all over the place: Some saw the love story of the future, others worried about the emotional risks of a partner programmed to agree with you. What do you think? When you rate the newsletter, drop a comment with your email address.