Safe Wi-Fi anywhere: Using public Wi-Fi is risky no matter where you go. It doesn’t make a difference if you stay at a five-star luxury hotel, have lunch at your hometown diner or you’re at the airport. The easy way to protect yourself? Turn on a VPN.
2 bags
That’s how many you used to check for free on Southwest. Now? That’ll be $80, unless you’ve got status or a branded credit card (paywall link). The “bags fly free” era has been unceremoniously grounded. I’ll never forget when I was on a Southwest Airlines flight. A hard landing was quite jarring. As we pulled up to the gate, our flight attendant announced, “Well, folks, that wasn’t my fault, and it wasn’t the captain’s fault, but it was definitely the asphalt.”
😑 Feeling left behind? Download NetSuite’s free knowledge drop, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.” No matter what you do, you should know more about AI. It’s not going anywhere.
Leavin’ on a jet plane? Don’t wait in line for a bad passport pic. Head to Passport Photo Online and follow a few steps to take the perfect shot at home. This site shows you exactly what to do, so your photo won’t get rejected. I used a publicity photo for my passport. I’m always relieved when a customs officer holds up the photo to my face and passes me through after a long flight.
Better iPhone videos: Head to Settings > Camera > Record Video and pick 4K at 60 fps. Then go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose High Efficiency. For better framing, go to Camera > Composition and turn on Grid and Level. Your shots will look way better.
🎮 Kids and online games: When they play games online, they’re chatting with strangers since no friend request is needed. Anyone in the lobby can talk using a mic. Make sure they know not to share personal info and to never agree to meet up in real life. Too many wackos are behind the screen.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On Windows, hit Win + Shift + S to launch Snip & Sketch, the fastest way to grab a screenshot.
7 hours
How long Anthropic’s new AI model Claude Opus 4 can work without needing new prompts. It’s built to handle big tasks, kind of like giving a coworker a goal and letting them run with it. The twist? Anthropic says it’s not replacing jobs, just automating the boring stuff. Cool cool, tell that to the boss.
💵 A dollar here, a dollar there: It seems like every subscription is more expensive than when I signed up. Use the Rocket Money app to see what you’re paying for. I do! They’ll even cancel a subscription for you if it’s not worth the money anymore.
🍏 Turn websites into apps on iPad: Visit a site often? Save it as an app on your Home Screen. Open Safari > go to the site > tap the Share button (top right) > select Add to Home Screen > rename it > and hit Add. Bonus: You can also drag the new website icon(s) into your Dock and group them together.
📞 Old phone, new trick: Turn your old smartphone into a home security camera. Charge it up and download a free security cam app like Alfred Camera (iOS, Android) on both your old phone and your current one. You’ll get live video, motion alerts and even two-way talk.
$287,000
That was the average price for a starter home in 2024, and you’d need to earn over $100K a year to afford it. Why so much? Land, permits and labor aren’t cheap, and building materials have gone through the roof. Oh, and you’re getting even less for more. In Colorado Springs, new homes have shrunk by 14% in size (paywall link).
⚙️ Don’t reinstall Windows: Wiping everything can fix performance issues, but there’s a smarter way. Just reset without losing your personal stuff. Go to Settings > System > Recovery > Reset PC, then choose Keep my files. It’ll remove apps and settings but keep your docs and photos. PSA: Always back up first, just in case.
🗣️ Talk to ChatGPT: Instead of typing, you can have a full-on voice conversation with the bot. Open a New chat, tap the Use voice mode icon, Choose a voice (“Spruce” is good) and hit Done. Start chatting, and when you’re finished, click End. You’ll see the full convo saved as text afterward.
Almost 50%
Of the images on Adobe Stock are AI-generated. That’s over 300 million in just three years. For comparison, it took 20 years to hit that number with real photos. The downside? Adobe is now limiting uploads and rejecting more files. Not great news if you’re a human with a camera.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Got a .com? Set up a free Google Business Profile to show up on Maps and local searches.
🤳 Am I hot or not? That’s what people are asking ChatGPT. They upload photos, ask for an honest opinion, then get glow-up advice (think skin care routines or makeup tips). Kinda sketchy now that ChatGPT has a shopping feature that recommends products. AI meets e-commerce. Its advice could be influenced by ads, not what’s actually best for you.
Sick of your cloud bill eating your budget alive? I negotiated with Oracle to bring you a limited-time offer to slash your cloud costs. We’re talking 50% off or more. Why keep overpaying when you can run faster, leaner and smarter?
Your Echo knows movies: Planning your next movie night? Just say, “Alexa, tell me about the movie [title].” She’ll give you a quick rundown on the plot, director and cast without spoiling anything. It’s an easy way to help decide what to watch.
I spy a virus: If your connection’s dragging, a virus might be the culprit. I trust and recommend TotalAV. It’s just $19 a year to protect up to five devices on Windows, Mac, Android and more. That’s total peace of mind for your phone, laptop and tablet.