Hey, web developers: Have you tried Amazon Q Developer? Think of it as your intern to help write code, create README files and find security holes. There’s a free tier for 50 chats per month, or pay $19 per month for more perks. It’s not a sponsor, but it just caught my eye.
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Federal officials are raising red flags over TP-Link, warning their products might be linked to Chinese espionage. Plus, Redbox files for bankruptcy, Taylor Swift drops cassettes, and Apple’s next iPhone features AI.
After 35 years, Microsoft is ditching Publisher: It’s getting the boot in Oct. 2026. Other changes: Look for Microsoft to start bugging you to back up your files to OneDrive if you use Microsoft 365 apps for Windows. And they’re also testing free Office desktop apps that have ads baked in that only let you save docs to OneDrive.
🍕 Serving up files: Try File.pizza to send large files from your computer without using up your cloud’s storage space. Just drag and drop it into your browser, set a password if you’d like (yes) and hit Start. You’ll get a link and a QR code to share. Keep the site open until whoever you send it to downloads it. Once you click out, the file is gone.
Tag, you’re it: Keep your files organized in Finder on your Mac by using tags. You can make tags for work, family, projects or anything you like. Just select a file and press Control + number (1-7) to add a tag. You can see the order in your Finder settings. To remove it, select it and hit Control + 0.
📂 Size matters: Use Excel often? Save big files in an .XLSB format instead of .XLS. The file size will shrink by up to 75%. Nice one!
Size matters: Find and delete large files to free up space. On a PC, open File Explorer and type “size:>100MB” in the search bar. Any files bigger than that will pop up. For a Mac, click the Apple menu icon in the top left. Then, go to System Settings > General > Storage > Documents > Large Files tab.
A cluttered desktop = a cluttered mind: Do a 30-second cleanup. On Windows: Right-click > New > Folder, then drag everything in. On Mac: Right-click > New Folder, then group files manually or use Stacks to auto-organize. Next time you’re in a boring meeting, sort your folder!
Find anything faster: Press Cmd + Space on Mac or Win + S on Windows to search files, apps and the web without clicking through folders.
Go back on a Mac: Plug in your drive, and Time Machine will prompt you to set it up for automatic backups. On Windows, connect your drive, go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup, click Add a Drive, and turn on Automatically back up my files.
👋 Bye-bye: Remove the background from a photo in your iPhone’s Files app. Go to Photos and tap Select on the right. Choose the photo you want to move and press Share > Save to Files to import. Then, open Files > Quick Actions > Remove Background to make a new copy of your pic.
Shift + Delete is forever: On Windows, hitting Delete sends files to the recycle bin. But if you hold down Shift + Delete, the file skips the bin and is gone-gone. On a Mac, hold down Option + Cmd + Delete to say bye forever.
🤖 AI tool of the day: Google’s NotebookLM lets you upload audio files, notes, documents or anything else, then search them, find citations (from your own docs) or produce a snazzy podcast you can listen to. It’s impressive. Reader Bob told me after he heard about it on my show, he used it to create training modules for his employees.
📁 Use a Mac? Batch-rename your files in Finder. This is handy for organizing photos or documents where consistent naming is important. Select all the files you want to rename, right-click and choose Rename [number] Items. A window will pop up, offering options to replace text, add text or completely format the names. Done!
Another huge data breach — 2.9 billion records exposed, including Social Security numbers. Here are the quick steps you need to take right now to protect yourself.
Your phone holds all your precious info — photos, files, apps, everything. It should stay private unless you decide to share it.
Deleted an important file by mistake? It might not be gone for good — if you know the trick.
I bet you have old records lying around. Let’s turn them into digital tunes.
Plus, how to legally bet on the 2023 Super Bowl online, stop Adobe from using your files to train its AI, find out how long your hard drives will last, Netflix Premium brings spatial audio to more titles and see how many hours it’s going to take to beat a game.
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Your life is on your computer. Want to protect your work, private photos and passwords? In this one-minute podcast, you’ll master a top cybersecurity tip.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
