Last minute tax write-off alert

April 13, 2025

🚨 Last minute tax write-off alert: Run a business? You could score a tax break if you bought new or used equipment from laptops to software. Section 179 lets you deduct up to $1.22 million (taxes filed in 2025). It jumps to $1.25 million next year. Pro tip: Track your purchases to save more.
📨 Out of the office? Set up a vacation responder to auto-reply like a pro. In Gmail, go to Settings (gear icon) > See all settings. Scroll down to Vacation responder and check it on. Then write your message, pick your dates and hit Save Changes when you’re good to go. Auto-replies are self-care with punctuation.

Tags: equipment, Gmail, settings, software, track

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One setting you’ll use all the time

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Ever stumble across a setting and think, “Wait, why didn’t I set this up sooner?”

Turn your phone into a shortcut machine with this hidden feature. Let me introduce you to Back Tap.

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Read this before your laptop or e-bike becomes fireworks

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Maybe this photo is a little bit dramatic. BUT, electronics are exploding.

Everything from your phone to your e-bike runs on lithium-ion. While batteries are small energy wonders, they’re also tiny explosives just begging for an excuse to ruin your day. Or your house. Or your entire block.

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🔎 NotebookLM is getting an upgrade this week: Until now, you had to manually upload files and links for the AI research assistant. Well, not anymore. A new Discover button (look for the magnifying glass) is coming to the Sources panel. Click it, type in a topic or question and the AI will search the web and return up to 10 links with summaries. Pretty neat.

LinkedIn secrets for success

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LinkedIn isn’t just a digital résumé graveyard full of corporate buzzwords and “Let’s circle back” types. This is the one social platform where being smart actually works in your favor. Over 250 million folks in the United States use LinkedIn. You probably do, too, but you’re not using it right.

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You didn’t search it, but the ad still found you

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Mention taking a trip to Antarctica near your phone, and suddenly every screen you own starts pushing parkas. You didn’t search it. Didn’t type it. Definitely didn’t ask your smart speaker to recommend thermal underwear. But the “Visit Antarctica” ads found you anyway. So how did they know?

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Your tech is about to get expensive

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If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your phone, laptop or maybe finally grabbing that gaming console, here’s your sign: Do. It. Now. Not “next paycheck” now. But now.

🚨 Thanks to a fresh batch of tariffs, tech prices are about to go full popcorn ceiling, high and not looking cute.

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🛡️ 1 billion malware programs, 1 easy fix: Antivirus software scans your system for viruses, ransomware and other threats and removes them before they cause damage. Protect five devices for only $19 — cheaper than your last impulse DoorDash.

💍 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.

Easy ways to tidy up your tech

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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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