Need a bedtime story for the kids?

April 6, 2025

🌙 Need a bedtime story for the kids? It’s tough to get creative at 8 p.m. when your brain’s fried from a long day. No worries, just use a chatbot to tell the tale. I like to include the child’s age, interests and a theme. For example: “Can you make up a bedtime story for a 5-year-old boy about a brave knight?” Voilà, no stress to impress.

Tags: Brave, kids, old, story, stress

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Easy ways to tidy up your tech

ChatGPT

We all love a clean house, but what about your digital life? Clutter builds up fast: old contacts, forgotten files, 127 versions of the same photo and a desktop that’s basically an overflowing junk drawer.

That doesn’t just hog storage, it slows down your tech and drains your focus.

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Turn on this phone setting before it’s too late

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Oh, that familiar quick pat of the pockets and the spike of panic when you realize your phone is no longer on your person. Maybe it’s in the car. Maybe you left it at the coffee shop. You open Find My Phone.

It’s too late, you might as well be looking for a TI-84 calculator. If your phone isn’t prepped ahead of time, you might never get it back.

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💍 Diamonds aren’t forever: What if a mystery red box with a diamond ring arrived in your mail? Ask Tiffany Grove. She got one from the “Global Gemological Research Academy,” did some digging and realized it was a scam. It came with a QR code for a “warranty” that leads to a phishing site. Apparently, the only gem they’re offering is emotional damage. Don’t scan it, just report it.

Get paid to stand in line for someone else

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When I saw this, my first thought was, “That’s strange.” But I hate standing in lines. And what if you physically can’t do it but need to?

Then yesterday, I read a story in the WSJ (paywalled) about what a nightmare DMVs are right now with everyone scrambling to get a new ID. Starting May 7, you need a REAL ID to travel. The lines are wrapped around the buildings by people who need it. (I’m one of them!)

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Tech how-to: Delete your DNA data

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You can freeze your credit. Change your password. Replace a stolen phone. But there’s one thing you can’t ever change: your DNA.

That’s why the news that 23andMe just filed for bankruptcy should set off alarms. This company collected genetic information from over 15 million people. Yours could be sold as part of bankruptcy proceedings, absorbed into a merger or leaked in a breach. You’ll never know until it’s too late.

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💔 When will people wake up? A 63-year-old woman was ready to leave her husband for a scammer pretending to be Enrique Iglesias. Over two years, he talked her out of thousands of dollars. When her cash dried up, he told her to steal it. Hubby traced the messages to Nigeria and begged her to stop. She even went on TV and still swears it’s Iglesias. So sad.

💸 IRS scam link: It never stops. This time, if you Google how to get a business tax ID, the top results look official, but they’re not (paywall link). They’re ads from companies that charge you over $300 for something the IRS does for free. The real IRS site ends in .gov. Anything else? Fake.

Try these April Fools' tech tricks on friends and family!

Tuesday is April 1, and I can’t let it go by without recommending some techy April Fools’ pranks! If you know me, you know I love a good gag. If you know Barry, you know he’s my most frequent victim.

These sneaky tricks are harmless (and hilarious), but be forewarned — they require a little bit of device snooping. Hey, what else do you have going on this weekend?

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Tax scams 2025: Tricks, tactics and how to stay safe

The phone rings, and it’s an agent from your local IRS office with bad news. Someone filed in your name. But don’t worry, they can help you sort it out in just a few minutes. Now, what’s your Social Security number?

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No vacancy: Next time you book a hotel, scroll past the random sites you’ve never heard of that pop up first in your search (paywall link). They’re resellers that slap on hundreds in extra fees. Some even look like the real hotel site, so double-check the URL. If you’ve been duped, click here to file an FTC complaint.