Dropouts welcome

That’s how much Pokémon cards have surged since 2004. For context, the S&P 500 managed a measly 483% in the same stretch. Translation: Pikachu just smoked your retirement account (paywall link). One near-mint Pikachu Illustrator sold for $5.3M, proving that a tiny crease can tank your portfolio faster than a bad earnings call. 

❌ Delete bloatware on Windows 11: Your PC comes preloaded with apps you’ll never use. They waste space and can slow performance by running in the background. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Scroll the list, click the three-dot menu on an app (like Xbox Live) and hit Uninstall. Just be careful not to touch system apps.

👨🏻‍💼 Stop LinkedIn spam: If you’re flooded with unwanted message requests, lock down your profile. Go to Settings & Privacy > Data privacy > Who can reach you > Messages and toggle off Message requests. Don’t want random invites either? Go back to Who can reach you > Invitations to connect and toggle Only people in your Imported Contacts.

That’s what a contractor in Maine had to pony up for violating a lakeshore ordinance. He says he checked with the town first, but they fined him anyway. His revenge? Paying the entire thing in coins, 12,000 pounds worth. Now the town’s thinking of charging him a handling fee to count it. Ever heard of Coinstar, guys?

📄 Type faster in Google Docs: Instead of retyping long phrases, create shortcuts that expand into full text. Go to Tools > Preferences > Substitutions and tick Automatic substitution. To add your own, type “YTV” under Replace and “YouTube video” under With, then hit OK. Next time you type YTV, it auto-changes to YouTube video. Nice. 

📱 Apple ups privacy: Websites can still track you by stitching together your IP, device info and time zone into a “fingerprint.” No opt-out. iOS 26 (out tomorrow) will auto-block that in Safari. Add in spam call screening and link-tracking protection, and Apple’s getting a privacy facelift.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On Apple Watch, press and hold the side button to bring up Medical ID and Emergency SOS. Don’t forget to fill out your info in the iPhone Health app.

The number of Americans who admit they’ve followed AI medical advice that was later proven wrong. Batting .800 is great in baseball, but when it’s your health on the line, that’s less “MVP season” and more “urgent care speedrun.” Experts say AI can be a starting point, just make sure you follow it up with a real doctor before you roll the dice.