⚡ Watt the heck? Electricity prices rose 6.5% nationwide so far this year, and in some states, like Maine, they’re up a whopping 36%. Major culprit? Data centers. Their sky-high energy demands (thanks, AI) are hiking rates and triggering billion-dollar grid upgrades that we get to fund. Ohm my gosh!
September 30
The last day to take delivery and still score the $7,500 EV tax credit. Tick, tick, tax. Forget order dates. The feds only care when it hits your driveway. So if you’re waiting eight to 10 weeks for delivery, as is the case for most Teslas, you’re cutting it real close. Better hope your dream car is already on a lot somewhere.
🚨 ICYMI: If your content isn’t showing up in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini, you’re invisible to millions of potential customers. 👉 Read my full post here about how to fix this. Let me know what you think, or drop me a question about it in the comments.
Use AI to write tricky messages: Think about the main points you need to get across, whether it’s to a neighbor, your kid’s teacher or customer service. Prompt: “Write a short, polite message that clearly says this.” No more overthinking or rewriting 20 times.
🔔 Keep Android notifications private: Put that lock screen on lockdown. Go to Settings > Notifications > Lock screen notifications and toggle on Hide content. FYI: You can also set it per app if you only want it for some.
🪦 Big Tech, meet Big Audit: The IRS’s free tax-filing tool got iced after just one full season due to limited adoption. Commissioner Billy Long says Direct File’s donezo. RIP to the rare government app that actually worked. IRS saw people being happy and said, “Yeah, that’s enough.”
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Google Docs, press Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + C (Mac) to check your word count. It all adds up!
🚫 Stop Chrome from running in the background: To shut that down, go to Settings > System and toggle off Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed. While you’re there, turn on Use graphics acceleration when available. Your little laptop will run a bit smoother.
Know what you’re getting into: Before starting a new book, go to How Long to Read to see how much time it’ll take. Just search up the title name. For movies, try using Bingeclock, and for shows, Tiii.me. Good sites for when you’ve got two days, not two months to spare.
Proof that rocket science is history: In D.C.’s Air and Space Museum, there are five new galleries, two of them straight out of a sci-fi fever dream. I’m talking about Elon’s rocket guts, cosplay-level spacesuits and a clone of R2-D2 built by MythBuster Adam Savage. One display feels like a TEDx event on Mars. Goes to prove that despite the name, the Air and Space Museum has a lot to see there. (lol)
🔎 Find anything fast in Microsoft Word: Can’t remember how to insert a table? Don’t waste your time digging through menus and settings. Click the search bar at the top, type in “table” (or whatever else you need), and the option will pop right up. FYI: This trick works in Excel, too.
ElevenLabs hits a high note: The AI speech company released a new tool that sings and raps. For example, you can ask it to “make a relaxing jazz song with an ’80s vibe,” and it’ll generate a track in minutes, complete with vocals and instruments. It can do 29 languages and accents. It’s raising copyright eyebrows and soon, long-gone superstar hitmakers with new tunes.
Manage iPhone subscriptions: Apple makes it easy to forget what you’re paying for. Go to Settings, tap your name and select Subscriptions. You’ll see a list of everything active. Choose See All Plans to check for cheaper tiers, or tap Cancel Subscription to drop it completely.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Made a whoopsie? Press Ctrl + Z on Windows or Cmd + Z on Mac to instantly undo your last action. Works for typing, deleting and formatting.
Find the subscriptions you forgot about: I use Rocket Money, an app that finds all your recurring subscriptions and lets you easily cancel anything you don’t want. The first time I logged in, it saved me $435!
🖨️ Save your printer’s cartridge: Arial might look clean, but it eats through ink faster than you think. A better option: Try Times New Roman. Tests show it can use up to 27% less ink over time. To make the switch, tap the Font drop-down menu at the top in Google Docs or Microsoft Office.
Your laptop will thank you: Windows 11 swapped out Power saver for a new Energy saver mode. Go to Settings > System > Power & Battery > Energy saver. Turn on Always use energy saver to dim the screen, pause app syncing and disable fancy effects. Or set it to kick in automatically at a battery level, like 20%.
📱 Check if your device is still supported: Not sure if your phone, tablet or e-reader is past its prime? Go to endoflife.date. Search for your gadget to see if it’s been discontinued or if the manufacturer has ended support. That usually means no more security updates, and it might be time to stop using it.
🚨 This is important: Google Search is dead. If your content isn’t showing up in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini, you’re invisible to millions of potential customers. Whether you run a business, blog or sell anything online, this shift changes everything. I couldn’t fit it all in this newsletter. 👉 Read my full post here. Let me know what you think, or drop me a question about it in the comments.
Have your iPad read to you: When your eyes need a break, let your iPad handle the work. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content and toggle on Speak Selection and Speak Screen. In your browser, highlight the text, then tap Speak from the pop-up. To stop it, highlight again and tap Pause.