⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Tired of Instagram suggesting people to follow? Go to your profile > Edit profile > toggle off Show account suggestions on profiles.
Take a trip back to your childhood home, no plane ticket required
Google Maps
That’s my childhood home above at 111 Washington Avenue, South Amboy, NJ. I was about 10 when I knocked out my front tooth on the swing set. There was also the day when I made the very bad decision to throw a snowball at a passing police car while the officer had his windows open. (Yes, I hit him. No, I don’t recommend it.)
I hadn’t looked at my old house in years, but seeing it on Google Maps took me straight back. Want to do it, too? It’s super easy and a little emotional.
🗺️ Find your childhood home
- Open the Google Maps app or go to maps.google.com.
- Type in and enter the address of the house or neighborhood.
- Select Street View, then tap the image.
- Tap (or click) the screen and then select “See more dates” (top left, web, or bottom, app) to go back in time.
If you’re lucky, Google may have snapshots of the home over the years. You can see when the fence was replaced, or if they finally painted the garage door, or if the tree you used to cry under is still standing.
🤖 Now add AI fun
Here’s a great use of AI that’s actually heartwarming. Upload a screenshot of your childhood home to ChatGPT (or another image AI tool) and say:
“This is the house I grew up in. Can you help me write a short story about a memory here?” If you use Midjourney, it can make an aerial view.
💡 Bonus idea: Jot down three childhood memories in your Notes app. The next time you’re with your kids or grandkids, show them the house and tell them the stories.
Trust me, they’ll remember the one about the snowball. Or the time your mom found you building a sandcastle and took Grandpa’s urn back. ⚱️
Tech that rescues your family lore
Kim Komando via Remini
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.
📶 Wi-Fi not showing up on your phone? First, move closer to your router. Thick walls and appliances can mess with the signal. Still nothing? Unplug the router for 30 seconds and restart it. Still no go? Toggle Wi-Fi off and on.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Watching YouTube and want silence? Tap M on your keyboard to mute/unmute instantly. Useful when someone walks in mid-video.
🔍 Zoom in on Instagram posts: Using Instagram on your phone and can’t see the tiny details? You can zoom in on photos and videos by spreading two fingers apart on the screen. It’s great for reading small texts. Just don’t double tap by accident while snooping. That late-night “like” is hard to explain.
Have dyslexia? Try the dyslexic font on Kindle. Open a book, tap near the top of the screen and hit the Aa icon. Go to Font > Font family and select OpenDyslexic. Bonus: You can also adjust the boldness and size of the font from here.
▶️ Save your YouTube channel: Back up all your videos, just in case. Head to takeout.google.com and select only YouTube and YouTube Music. Then, follow the prompts to download everything in one swoop. Your future self will thank you.
Biometric bandwagon: Unlock your Amazon app on your phone with your fingerprint or face. On the web, open Amazon account settings, click Login & security, then click Set up next to Passkey.
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Share your location on WhatsApp: Open the chat, tap the Paperclip icon, choose Location, then Share Live Location and hit Send. They’ll get a live-updating map showing where you are.
🐷 I think, therefore I ham: Ham radio operators will be setting up in parks to talk with others across the country today. Use the Field Day Locator: Type your town and state under Location or Call Sign, click a marker and get the details. Fun times!
Trying to figure out who called you? Drop the digits into Facebook’s search bar and see what shows up. Use filters like Posts and Date Posted to narrow it down.
🤫 Mute Instagram stories: Just because you follow someone doesn’t mean you need to see every single story they post. Tap their story, hit the three-dot menu in the top right, choose Mute, then tap Mute stories. Hooray.
Free images: Need clean, professional photos for your website or social media posts? Try Unsplash. It has a huge library of high-res, royalty-free images. Just search a topic like “office” or “game” and download what you need. PSA: Watch out, they’re gonna try to upsell paid photos.
🎞️ Make your own GIFs: Want something custom for social media? Try GIPHY for free. Just make an account, click Create (top right) and Choose a File (like an MP4). Trim the clip, add stickers or text and upload it. When it’s ready, you can Download it or Copy Link to share.
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.
💻 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.
🔖 Better than bookmarks: Reopening the same tabs every day? Let your browser remember them for you. In Chrome, click the three-dot menu (top right) > Settings > On startup > Continue where you left off. Nice.
▶️ Test for success: Compare up to three thumbnails in YouTube Studio to see which gets the most engagement. Pick a video, click Test & compare under Thumbnail and hit Done. The test starts when your video is public. Wait up to two weeks to see the result: Winner (your best thumbnail), Preferred (good but just by a little) or None (no difference).