Ads are coming

Ads are coming: Perplexity, the AI search engine backed by Jeff Bezos and other big-name investors, will soon slip in ads where you’re most likely to click — on “related questions” that make up 40% of queries. Pay attention: The web as we know it is completely changing.

Tags: advertisements (ads), search engine


Airplane Wi-Fi: Dos, don’ts and security pro tips

When Barry and I were on the (very long) flight to Japan, he leaned over and asked, “I want to check our Morgan Stanley account. Do you think it’s OK to do it using the plane’s Wi-Fi?”

How did we live without Wi-Fi on a plane? Oh, yeah, we read magazines! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news — Wi-Fi isn’t as protected as we hope.

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Can you spot election deepfakes? Here’s how not to be duped

There was the deepfake audio robocall of President Biden telling you to hold your vote. And just last week, a phony video of Donald Trump with black voters made the rounds.

AI deepfakes are a massive problem this election season, and it’s easy to get taken — especially when your news and social media feeds are full of this junk.

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Beep-beep: With a cheap setup, someone can copy the signal from your keyfob to open and steal your car. What can you do? Buy a signal-blocking pouch that can hold your keys, like this $9.99 shielded RFID-blocking one. It works!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Pros use the 3-2-1 backup rule: Three copies of your data (original and two backups) are stored in at least two different formats (like an external drive and in the cloud), with one copy stored offsite. If you have important docs and biz data, store them offsite, too. If it’s just your personal stuff, the cloud will do.

No more email: Need to transfer photos, vids and docs from your Android phone to a Windows PC? Forget email. Use Google Share. It’s free and it works great!

You’re too close: Holding your phone too close to your face puts extra pressure on your eyes. On iPhones, you can get a friendly warning. Open Settings > Screen time and toggle on Screen distance. Pro tip: If your text is too small, fix that under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.

That’s not quite right: You’re texting with your voice and it went all wrong. To delete the last word you dictated, say, “Delete the last word.” To delete the last sentence, say, “Clear sentence.” If you want to get rid of everything you just said, say, “Clear all.”

I hate lines: That’s why I have the TSA app on my phone. Check real-time security wait times, get tips on what you can and can’t bring on board, check delay info, and report security issues. Worth downloading for Android and Apple if you have a trip coming up.

Using new software at work? Online learning sites like Coursera, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning can help you get up to speed quickly. YouTube is a solid free option. There are a ton of helpful tutorials out there. You’ll have to watch an ad or two, but that’s no big deal.

That tracks: Your MacBook trackpad does more than you think. Case in point: Reverse pinch with a thumb and three fingers to see the desktop. You can set up your own gestures and tap combinations, too. Click the  Apple menu > System Settings and Trackpad.