Google’s new AI-powered search is tanking its own traffic. Plus, your ChatGPT chats live forever, a job offer scam, and a car rental side hustle making real money. Then I talk to Holly from Kentucky, whose kiddo ordered 70,000 suckers on Amazon.
Perplexity launches Comet: Their new AI browser has smart search summaries and a built-in assistant that can read your emails, check your calendar and answer questions about the page you’re on. The kicker? For now, it’s only available on their $200/month Max plan. FYI: You’ll also need to give up a lot of private data, like your Google account.
37 out of 50
That’s how many top news sites saw traffic drop after Google’s AI took the wheel. Despite wild headlines covering assassination attempts, election chaos and tariff wars, users stayed on the search page. Why? Google’s Gemini bot summarizes the news, grabs the eyeballs and leaves publishers ghosted like a bad Tinder date.
❗ Is it just you? Use Downdetector to check if a service is down, like your internet provider, Netflix or social media apps. Just type the name in the search box.
📄 Google trick for docs: You can look for specific file types by adding filetype: to your search. For example, type filetype:pdf user manual (PDF), filetype:xlsx monthly budget (Excel), filetype:doc job application (Word) or filetype:ppt marketing presentation (PowerPoint).
🍏 Turn Spotlight searches into shortcuts: Always using Spotlight on your iPhone to find the same apps? Save yourself the trouble. Just long-press the app in the search results, drag it out and drop it onto your Home Screen. It’s quicker than digging through your App Library every day.
🤖 Ask for up-to-date answers: ChatGPT can sometimes give outdated info, especially on recent events. Try saying, “Can you search the web and verify with 2025 sources?” If it does, you’ll usually get clickable links. PSA: Double-check the sources, too. If a website looks unfamiliar, give it a quick Google to make sure it’s legit.
🤖 Google’s AI problems: To “help” the publishers it just kneecapped with AI search, Google dropped a new feature: Offerwall. Your website visitors can now pay per article, watch ads or take surveys to get through content gates. Congrats! You’ve unlocked this joke by watching two ads and solving a CAPTCHA shaped like Sundar Pichai’s head.
Trying to figure out who called you? Drop the digits into Facebook’s search bar and see what shows up. Use filters like Posts and Date Posted to narrow it down.
Windows 11 backup warning: Microsoft confirmed it automatically deletes System Restore points after 60 days. ICYDK: They’re like save buttons for your settings, letting you roll your PC back to a previous state when something goes wrong. The fix? Create one yourself every few weeks. Just search Create a restore point and follow the steps.
What’s the passkey? You can view and manage them right from your PC. Head to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys to see a list. Use the search bar to filter by app or website name. Don’t need one anymore? Click the three dots next to it, and select Delete passkey.
🕹️ Know what they’re playing: Before your kid buys a new video game, go to ESRB.org and type the title into the search bar. You’ll see the official rating (like E for Everyone or M for Mature), plus a breakdown of what’s in it. Things like violence, language and sexual content are all listed.
🧮 Windows math shortcut: No need to open the Calculator app. Just press the Windows key, type your equation into the search bar (like 10 15 – 5), and you’ll see the answer instantly (145). FYI: You can include spaces between numbers or leave them out. Either way works.
😨 Data brokers turn deadly: This is horrifying. The man accused of assassinating Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband allegedly used people search sites (paywall link) to stalk them. If criminals can track politicians, they can track you. That’s why you need Incogni to get your info off those websites.
Google’s eating itself alive — June 14th, Hour 1
Google’s new AI-powered search is tanking its own traffic. Plus, your ChatGPT chats live forever, a job offer scam, and a car rental side hustle making real money. Then I talk to Holly from Kentucky, whose kiddo ordered 70,000 suckers on Amazon.
💸 Thrift of the year: An Arkansas man spotted a $120 coffee table on Facebook Marketplace and decided to do a reverse image search. Turns out, it was made by an Italian company in the 1990s and listed on auction sites for up to $8,250. It’s now in his living room, glued to the floor.
Search cannibalism: I called it three years ago. As the once search giant Google morphs into a chat-style (paywall link) “answer engine,” clicks are drying up and traffic is cratering all over. The Atlantic’s CEO said to assume “Google traffic drops to zero.” Google once said, “Don’t be evil.” Today, it reminds me of Goya’s “Saturn Devouring His Son.”
💸 $742 million fortune lost: After 12 years, the guy who tossed a hard drive with 8,000 Bitcoin has to give up the search. It’s buried in a landfill in Wales, but officials won’t allow a dig because of environmental risks. And to top it off? A judge says it likely didn’t survive anyway. At least his story’s getting a documentary.
📅 Search by date range in Gmail: Need to find emails from a specific time frame? In the search bar, type: after:2025/01/01 before:2025/03/01. This shows emails from Jan. 2 to Feb. 28, 2025. You can narrow it more like from:kim@example.com or has:attachment. Neat.