CarPlay and Android Auto can do more than stream music or show maps. With a few quick tricks, you can text hands-free, find coffee on the fly, and customize your screen so the apps you use most are always at your fingertips.
🎂 10 out of 10: YouTube opened the site a decade ago. To celebrate, YouTube Music just rolled out “taste match,” a Spotify Blend clone that fuses your questionable taste with your friends’ also questionable tastes. Fun fact: The YT app hit 125M paying subs with a 300M-track library.
About 80%
The amount of time teen drivers are actually watching the road. The rest? Spent on their phones. Most of that screen time isn’t for directions. It’s music, texting and social media. Terrifying when you realize that looking down for 5 seconds at 55 mph is like driving a football field with your eyes shut.
🚗 Play music in older cars: If your ride doesn’t have Android Auto or CarPlay, load your favorite songs onto a USB flash drive. Plug it into your car’s radio, and as long as they’re MP3 or AAC formats, it’ll play right away. No USB port? Grab an adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter instead.
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Check this out: Library Extension shows you what’s at over 5,000 libraries while you browse the web. You can borrow books, music or audiobooks without spending a dime. Best part? You don’t need to sign up. Get it on Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Streaming music or my podcast but need to save battery? Turn on Low Power Mode on iPhone or Power Saving mode on Android. The trade-off is a dimmer screen.
Trim silence in YouTube Music: Yep, that cool feature from Google Podcasts is now in YouTube Music. It automatically skips over silent or dead-air parts in podcasts, making episodes shorter. To use it: Open the YouTube Music app, start a podcast, tap the playback speed option, and toggle on Trim silence.
Tunnel vision: The Musk Boring Company is planning a 10-mile loop in Nashville, linking downtown to the airport. It’s privately funded, Tesla-filled (of course) and could launch by 2026 if no one panics about excavation under Music City.
📁 Customize your Start Menu: On Windows 11, you can add folders like Documents, Downloads, Music and Pictures next to the Power button. Go to Settings > Personalization > Start > Folders and toggle On what you want. Next time you open the Start Menu, you’ll see those icons right at the bottom.
Amazon packages pile up on her porch — July 19th, Hour 1
What if your house became an Amazon warehouse? Listener Karen from California is stuck in this nightmare. Plus, AI superintelligence, Beyoncé’s secret music files stolen, and how a bad Yelp review could cost you thousands.
Smart tech for a happy pup
Bringing home a new puppy? From calming music to treat-tossing pet cams, here are some smart tech tips to keep your dog happy, safe, and connected.
Google Maps trick: You don’t need the exact name of a place to find it. Just type a general phrase like “walking trails,” “live music” or “shoe repair,” and Google will pull up local results. Perfect for those “I can’t remember the name, but I know what I need” moments.
▶️ Save your YouTube channel: Back up all your videos, just in case. Head to takeout.google.com and select only YouTube and YouTube Music. Then, follow the prompts to download everything in one swoop. Your future self will thank you.
🐶 Calm your pup: Leaving an anxious dog at home? Try playing soft, low-volume music. Classical music is best. It helps the space feel less empty and can ease separation anxiety. FYI: Start the habit while you’re home, so they link it with comfort.
40,000
That’s how many “CDs’ worth of music” could be held on a stamp-sized hard drive. A promising new magnetic molecule that stores data solo can store three years of nonstop Pink Floyd, crammed tighter than your high school jeans. Don’t get too excited, it currently only works at -279°F.
YouTube Shorts for channel growth: The algorithm pushes Shorts hard, making them a good way to get discovered fast. Just make sure your video is vertical (9:16, aka phone style) and under 60 seconds. Pro tip: Avoid copyrighted music, so you don’t get hit with a content claim.
💒 Joined together in holy macaroni: Forget vows and veils, the rich are throwing music festivals disguised as weddings (paywall link). Think $500K holograms, $170K drapery and Rihanna on both the RSVP and performer list. Jeff Bezos is reportedly next, with a Venetian island, protests and a chilled Renaissance castle. Love is patient, love is kind, and love now has a dedicated caviar stylist.
Meta’s next smart glasses: Meta and Oakley have a new pair dropping Friday, made for athletes this time. No specs yet, but they’ll probably work like the Meta Ray-Bans. Think photos, videos, music, calls and AI that describes what you’re looking at. Oh, and the camera might sit in the center of the frame. Wow.
📺 Rated B for bogus: That $7.99/month YouTube Premium Lite plan is about to get a lot less ad-free. Starting June 30, you’ll see ads on Shorts, music videos and while browsing or searching. It’s all part of the push to get folks on full Premium for $13.99/month with no ads or background play.