Tech that rescues your family lore

That’s my dad in the photo. I used a tool called Remini (more about it below) to sharpen and enhance the image. Pretty amazing, right? The original is on the left, and the clearer, AI-upgraded version is on the right.

I bet you probably have boxes (or albums or old hard drives) full of family photos, some faded, some scratched and some that never made it past black and white. But here’s the thing, they’re priceless. They’re time machines. And right now, they’re just degrading.

That’s where tech comes in, and the tools out there now are incredible. You can bring your old photos back to life with just a few taps. I’m talking full color, restored detail, even animation.

Here are my favorites. PSA: You’ll find both free and paid plans.

🧙‍♂️ Deep Nostalgia

This one gives me chills (in a good way). Upload a portrait, say your grandfather in uniform, your great-grandmother as a child, and it animates the photo. They blink, smile and move gently like they’re in a video.

It’s eerie. It’s beautiful. And it’s something you’ll want to share with your family. 

🔗 myheritage.com/deep-nostalgia.

✨ Remini

This AI app sharpens old, blurry or grainy photos with stunning results. It works wonders on faces, smoothing out noise, brightening eyes and making even out-of-focus shots look camera-ready. 

🔗 https://app.remini.ai

🌈 Colorize 

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You don’t have to wait that long to swim after eating. That old drowning myth came from the idea that digestion pulls blood toward your stomach, leaving less for your muscles. Cue the imagined cramps. Experts say the shift is minimal and not dangerous. So yeah, jump in after lunch, just skip the cannonball.

What’s the passkey? You can view and manage them right from your PC. Head to Settings > Accounts > Passkeys to see a list. Use the search bar to filter by app or website name. Don’t need one anymore? Click the three dots next to it, and select Delete passkey.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Rename your Bluetooth device something bland. Instead of “Kim’s iPhone,” go with “My Little Phoney.” It hides your identity from nearby snoops. Yup, that’s my phone’s name.

📝 LinkedIn post formula: Start with one spicy sentence, like “If AI doesn’t take your job, someone using it will.” Keep it short, so people don’t have to click “more.” Then, follow it up with a takeaway that adds value and invites comments. Hiring? Click here to post a job for free.

🕹️ Know what they’re playing: Before your kid buys a new video game, go to ESRB.org and type the title into the search bar. You’ll see the official rating (like E for Everyone or M for Mature), plus a breakdown of what’s in it. Things like violence, language and sexual content are all listed.

Speed up your Kindle: Feeling slow? It might need a cleanup. Go to Settings > Device options > Storage management, then tap Manual removal. Choose the Books, Audible or Docs folder and scroll through the list. Tick anything you don’t need, then tap Remove to free up space.

🐶 Happy tails ahead: Dog lovers, check out Nylabone’s Dog Park Locator. Just pop in your ZIP code, and boom, you’ll see all the nearby dog parks. Remember: Always check the rules, make sure it’s securely fenced and keep an eye on your pup around unfamiliar dogs.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Turn your phone into a level: On iPhone, open the Measure app > tap Level. On Android, Google “bubble level” and one pops up.

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🧠 Smarter meeting notes: Fathom is an AI notetaker for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. It automatically records, transcribes and summarizes your meetings. You can ask things like “Did we discuss the budget?” and get answers with time stamps. FYI: The free plan gives you five summaries or queries per month.

Set default apps on iPad: Want Gmail instead of Mail? Or Chrome instead of Safari? Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps. You’ll see categories like Email, Messaging and Browser. Tap one to switch. Bonus: You can also enable any custom Keyboards you’ve installed from this menu.

📝 Better writing with Windows 11: Want fewer spelling mistakes? Windows 11 has a built-in autocorrect feature. Go to Settings > Time & language > Typing, then toggle on Autocorrect misspelled words. You can also turn on Highlight misspelled words to underline anything it couldn’t fix.

The two-minute rule: Overwhelmed by your to-do list? If a task takes two minutes or less, just do it now. No overthinking. If not, save it for later. This simple habit keeps the little stuff from piling up and helps you power through your day. Neat.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Use Alt + Tab (Windows) or Command + Tab (Mac) to jump between open apps.

🎉 You’re invited! This weekend, my award-winning national radio show is broadcasting on 420+ stations across the U.S., and I’d love for you to join the fun. I’m talking tech tips, digital life hacks, wild stories I can’t fit in the newsletter and taking calls from listeners just like you. Find your local station or get the podcast.

💻 Save big money on Office apps: Skip the subscription and try LibreOffice instead. It’s totally free and comes with Writer (like Word), Calc (Excel) and Impress (PowerPoint). The best part? It also works with Office files, so you can open and save .docx, .xlsx and .pptx. Go to libreoffice.org > Download.

Check your privacy settings: Social media apps update often, and sometimes your preferences change without you noticing. Review who can see your posts, who can tag you and what info is public. Most apps have this under Profile (or the three line Menu) > Settings > Privacy.

🧮 Windows math shortcut: No need to open the Calculator app. Just press the Windows key, type your equation into the search bar (like 10 15 – 5), and you’ll see the answer instantly (145). FYI: You can include spaces between numbers or leave them out. Either way works.

Resize Quick Notes on iPad: Need more space to read or jot something down? When a Quick Note is open, pinch outward with two fingers (just like zooming in on a photo) to make it bigger. To shrink it again, pinch inward. You can also drag it to any corner and keep working in your app.