🫡 Greetings, colleague: Dreading writing an email for work? Open ChatGPT or your favorite AI chatbot. Give it a headstart by typing who you are, your recipient and what the email needs to communicate. If the first draft is awful, give feedback (e.g., “Make it sound more conversational” or “Be more confident”) until it’s ready for your edits.
Automakers want to get rid of AM radio
When I was growing up, my dad worked for United Airlines, and I traveled a lot. I would always sneak a portable AM radio in my backpack, and as the plane crisscrossed the country, I would tune into various stations along the way. Never would I have imagined what that little hobby would become for me.
While FM radio listening is huge, AM radio is still massively important. When hurricanes knock FM stations off the air, AM stations are often more resilient.
AM radio is so crucial that FEMA is installing emergency studios, transmitters and generators at 77 mostly AM radio stations nationwide to maintain communications in the event of the worst (with special thanks to all ham radio operators!).
The car companies making decisions
You need to know several automakers told a Senate committee they’ll nix (or have already nixed) AM radios in all their vehicles. This includes BMW, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen, Volvo, Porsche and Mercedes.
Ford has since reversed its decision (at least temporarily) after considerable negative feedback. Ford says no one listens to AM radio anymore. Huh?
Know the numbers
Every day in America, at least 4,185 AM radio stations broadcast news, talk shows, sports and other important programming. AM radio draws an audience of 82.3 million people — more than one in three American radio listeners — each month.
Get this: 57% of AM radio listeners tune into news/talk stations, the very outlets that carry breaking local news. Plus, in rural areas where FM radio signals are iffy, people rely on AM to stay plugged in.
Thanks to its long broadcast range, listeners can still tune into an AM station, regardless of where they are. Think about that the next time you’re road-tripping off the grid. So, why remove AM radios?
The REAL reason
Electromagnetic interference in electric vehicles. Because the electric motors in EVs throw off harmful static, AM radio quality suffers in an EV to the point where it’s unstable and unlistenable.
How to get a job as a mystery diner
Any restaurant worth its salt wants to know what it’s doing right and what it’s screwing up. And they’re willing to pay you for that info. But they can’t just judge servers and kitchen staff when they’re on their best behavior. They need someone undercover.
👯 #Twinning: At age 66, Devlin Donaldson used a “digital twin” to reverse his Type 2 diabetes. OK, not a literal twin — the Twin Health app, which uses insights from your diet, activity, blood glucose levels and more to give you hyperpersonalized advice. The instant feedback helped Donaldson lose 40 pounds and go off medication. This is why I love tech, folks!
Watch out for fakes on Walmart, eBay and Amazon
When shopping on Amazon, eBay and Walmart, it’s hard to distinguish between good and bad sellers. Heck, even I’ve bought junk from third-party sellers … companies that use major e-commerce platforms to sell their products.
Don't miss your chance to shape the future of AI policy in the U.S.
It’s not every day that regular folks like you and me have the opportunity to influence the course of history. But thanks to a recent request for comment from the U.S. government, we have the power to help shape the future of AI. That means you can tell Uncle Sam if you think it’s time to put the brakes on AI. Here’s how.
Try and try again: If you’re a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, you can now edit images, too. Just click on an image to give follow-up instructions, like removing or adding objects. If the results stink, give some feedback and try again.
Reddit to the rescue: You heard you can make bank by playing games or watching vids on an app. Before you download anything, search “[name of the app] Reddit” and look for recent posts. You’ll get feedback from real people, not sites that want to sell you stuff.
Fed up with Excel? This site creates formulas for you
Few things frustrate us more than the inability to crack an Excel task independently. We love formulas and conditional cells, but the best way to utilize these features isn’t always easy. Tap or click for tricks to get the most out of Microsoft Word and Excel.
How to make a free Google survey (and why you’d want to)
What is the quickest way to get the opinion of several people? Sure, you could rope everybody into a WhatsApp group and ask there, but that can get confusing quickly.
Bulk emails and mass messages are also a sure-fire way for people not to give you insight into what you need. Luckily there is a much faster, more convenient solution.
Sketchy sellers are bribing and hassling Amazon customers via email
Amazon enjoyed huge profits during the pandemic, as consumers scrambled to buy essentials and items to keep busy while staying home. The online retail juggernaut saw more orders and members as people jumped aboard the Prime bandwagon.
Help Microsoft pick a new default font for Office
It’s time to kiss Calibri goodbye. For the first time in 15 years, Microsoft is changing its default Office font. Next year, it will have a completely new look — and you could even choose it.
That’s because Microsoft commissioned five potential new looks. Instead of leaving the decision-making to corporate, the company’s asking users like you to share their thoughts on social media. Give feedback and comment on social media, and your favorite fonts could be the future face of Microsoft Office.
Microsoft is tracking what you do - and reporting it back to your boss
Working from home has many benefits for workers, but a major drawback for some employers is a lack of supervision. Without a physical office space, there are few ways to keep track of worker productivity without some seriously creepy tactics.
Need extra cash? Get paid for sharing your opinion from home
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the job market, costing more than 40 million Americans their livelihood over the past several weeks. Although mandatory lockdowns and quarantines are now ending, the long-term effects of this economic blow still remain to be seen.