🧠 Too many tabs, huh: Microsoft quietly admitted OneDrive sync could be tanking Windows 11 performance. It’s enabled by default, which is cute until File Explorer takes three years to open. If you’ve got Windows, right-click that cloud icon and pause syncing to see if your PC stops wheezing. If you’ve got Apple, keep laughing until that monthly iCloud bill comes in.
When robots start flying us
Reliable Robotics
Imagine boarding a plane, looking toward the cockpit … and no one’s there. No captain, no copilot. Just empty seats and a glowing dashboard. Sounds like sci-fi, right? Nope, it’s real, and it’s already flying.
A company called Reliable Robotics (paywall link) just pulled it off with a Cessna 208B Caravan. This is a rugged, workhorse aircraft used by FedEx and small airlines across the country. We’re talking 41 feet long, a 52-foot wingspan and a payload capacity of 3,600 pounds. It can carry nine people or a whole lot of packages. This isn’t some toy drone.
The entire flight, from taxi, takeoff, cruise, all the way to landing, lasted about 12 minutes, and not one human touched the controls. The “pilot” was 50 miles away, watching everything from a control center on the ground. Amazing, right?
🛩️ From aviators to algorithms
This is major. The FAA just gave Reliable Robotics the green light to keep autopilot running through the riskiest parts of a flight, not just cruising altitude. We’re talking gate-to-gate, no hands on the controls.
The company already got a $17 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to test this tech on military transport planes. The big-picture goal? Cut down on human error, ease the pilot shortage and bring service to smaller airports that can’t staff full crews.
Think emergency deliveries, remote access and cargo flights that don’t stop for lunch breaks.
🤓 Houston, we have a bot
Let’s get real. What happens if the comms link drops midair? Or a freak storm rolls in? Who takes the blame if something goes sideways: the airline, the coder or the joystick jockey back on land? All great questions for sure.
Reliable says their setup is “airframe agnostic,” which means it could work on just about any plane from Amazon Air workhorses to full-size commercial jets. Full FAA certification is the goal by 2028, and this isn’t a far-off idea. It’s happening. Right now.
🙋♀️ So here’s the question I’m asking you, and I want your honest answer: Would you feel safer in a robotic plane or a human-piloted one? When you rate the newsletter at the end, let me know in a comment. Be sure to include your email address if you want to come on my show and talk about it. That’s so fun!
🖼️ Download all your Google Photos: You can make a local backup of your pictures on your PC. Open Google Photos and select the first image. Scroll to the bottom, hold Shift, and click the last one to highlight everything. Then hit the three-dot menu in the top right, choose Download, and check your Downloads folder.
🔒 Make Instagram private: If your account is public, anyone can see your posts, even without an Instagram account. To lock it down, tap your profile photo > Settings and activity > Who can see your content > Account privacy > toggle Private account. Now only approved followers can see your posts and follower list.
🗣️ Let Chrome read to you: Struggling to focus on long articles? Add the “Read Aloud” extension from the Chrome Web Store. After installing, click the Extensions icon (top right) and pin it. Highlight any text and hit the Read Aloud icon to hear it. You can also adjust the voice, pitch and speed in Settings.
🔗 Find links in Messages: Can’t find that link someone texted you? In iOS 26, open their chat, tap their name at the top, and choose the Links option. You’ll see every link they’ve shared with you. Tap one to open it, or long-press and select Show in Conversation to jump to where it was sent.
🚨 Upgrade to Windows 11 ASAP: Microsoft is ending Windows 10 support today, so it’s time to move on. Go to Settings > Update & Security and select Download and install Windows 11 (at the top). If you don’t see the option, use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant online and follow the steps.
🎧 Big sound, small price: I love my Raycons, premium audio without the premium price tag. With 20% off for their anniversary, now’s the time to grab the Everyday Earbuds Classic. Comfy fit, killer sound, 32-hour battery life. Get them on sale now.
🤖 Killer app idea: Eric Schmidt (the ex-Google guy) just said out loud what sci-fi movies have been yelling for decades, that AI could literally learn how to kill people if hacked. Speaking in London, he warned that guardrails can be removed and “bad actors” could teach AIs murder. Coming from the guy who helped build the internet’s brain, that’s … reassuring.
Share internet from your PC: On Windows, you can turn your computer into a hotspot for your phone. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot. Under Share my internet connection from, pick Ethernet or Wi-Fi, then choose to Share over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Toggle it on and get the password from the Mobile hotspot page.
📄 Install Google Docs as an app: You can get quicker access to Docs on your PC. In Chrome, open Google Docs, click the three-dot menu in the top right, and scroll to Cast, save and share. Select Install page as app and confirm. It’ll show up on your desktop and open like a stand-alone app.
📸 Try the new Photos app: On iPadOS 26, Photos got a big makeover. The sidebar now lets you jump from Library to Collections, and you can reorder sections by tapping Edit (top left). For example, drag Videos above Favorites in the Pinned area. See a hexagon icon on a pic? Tap it to add a 3D effect.
🚨 Live alone, not in fear: Whether you’re in an apartment, condo or your dream home, living solo doesn’t mean feeling unsafe. SimpliSafe’s award-winning security gives you 24/7 peace of mind with no contracts or hardwiring. You can set it up yourself in minutes or have a pro install it for you. For a limited time, get 50% off. I trust SimpliSafe, and you can, too.
🤯 Planet ChatGPT: According to researchers from OpenAI, Duke and Harvard, over 700 million people use ChatGPT monthly. That’s about one in 10 adults (paywall link) on Earth. Sam Altman just updated that to 800 million weekly users, firing off 2.5 billion messages a day. For context, that’s about 29,000 “write me a poem about my ex” requests every second.
Block pop-ups in Chrome: On mobile Chrome, you can stop those annoying pop-ups and redirects. On Android, tap the three-dot icon > Settings > Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects. On iPhone, go to Settings > Content Settings > Block Pop-ups. Heads up, this doesn’t block normal ads, just the extra spammy stuff.
🍥 Bun believable: What started as one woman selling her grandma’s cinnamon buns turned into Mav’s Top Buns, a New Jersey bakery that’s pulled in over $1 million and sold 500,000 buns in a year, all thanks to social media. No ads, no investors, just gooey carbs with a “bake it and post it” philosophy. This was a dangerous story to write at lunchtime.
📚 Translate text on Kindle: Tap and hold on a word to translate it, or drag the sliders to highlight a full passage. In the pop-up menu, slide left until you see Translation. At the top, set the languages (e.g., From Japanese to English) and voila, you’ve got instant descriptions.
📬 Copilot’s reading your Gmail: Microsoft’s Copilot can now peek into your Gmail, Drive and Calendar “to help you stay organized.” Translation: It’s reading your stuff so you don’t have to. Like a nosy neighbor offering to “recap” your mail, it might tidy things up, but you’re basically handing over a house key to your digital life.
Use ChatGPT on WhatsApp: You don’t need to open the app to prompt. In WhatsApp, go to the Chats screen, tap the green (+) icon, and select New Contact. Set the country code to the United States, enter (800) 242 8478, name it and tap Done. Tap the Message button, and ChatGPT will be verified and ready to go.