If you think it’s annoying when your phone gets brighter or dimmer on its own, turn that off. On iPhone, open Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle off Auto-Brightness. On Android, you’ll find it under Display settings.
DeepSeek told me some weird things
DeepSeek, the blockbuster AI chatbot from Communist China, told me that 95% of global internet traffic flows through undersea cables. That wasn’t surprising, but what came next was:
“China has developed advanced submarines and underwater drones capable of tapping into these cables to intercept communications.”
This is from the state-approved chatbot that’s gone viral for blocking anything Communist China deems inappropriate.
I watched in real time …
… as DeepSeek removed answers or flat-out refused to discuss Tiananmen Square, internment camps and protests in Hong Kong. It wouldn’t tell me where to find a Christian church in China or talk about President Xi Jinping. Heck, it wouldn’t even acknowledge Winnie the Pooh.
chat.deepseek.com
DeepSeek is a Chinese startup, and its V3 model outperforms OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Meta’s Llama and Google Gemini. Its launch sparked a tech selloff to the tune of $1 trillion, despite accusations DeepSeek ripped off ChatGPT to get up to speed in record time on a (comparatively) shoestring budget.
In my tests, DeepSeek is impressive
It’s fast, smart and beats ChatGPT in most prompts I’ve tried. (“Most” is the keyword there.) It had so much to say about China’s beauty, its bullet trains and its tech prowess.
But when I asked DeepSeek how many died under Mao Zedong, it told me, “You’re asking too many questions too fast.” Then:
“Comrade Mao Zedong was a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist and theorist, and one of the principal founders of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Republic of China.
“He made indelible contributions to the revolution and construction of China. We should evaluate historical figures comprehensively, objectively and historically, and oppose any form of historical nihilism.”
OK, so full propaganda mode. In case you’d like to know, an estimated 80 million people died during Chairman Mao’s reign.
Sky-high car insurance rates? Blame it on all the tech in our cars
My car insurance just went up 32%. Did I have an accident or get a few tickets? Nope. Across the U.S., the average full-coverage car insurance bill went up 25% last year. In some states, it was closer to 40%. Geez.
The main reason? Today’s high-tech vehicles cost way more to repair. You don’t need to own a high-tech car to feel the pinch, though; it’s hitting everyone.
⚡ Find it fast: If this one is new to you, you’re going to be so happy with me. Use Ctrl + F on Windows or Cmd + F on Mac to quickly find words or phrases in any document, webpage or app. I use this every single day.
AI 101: You’ll use this tip all the time. Open ChatGPT or your chatbot of choice the next time you’re struggling to get through a report, long email, research paper or whatever. Copy and paste it in, then say, “Summarize this in three sentences” or “Give me the key takeaways.”
Kim K. uses the FaceTune app: Not me — the other Kim K. She’s one of the many celebs who use it to look great in every photo on social media. It’s free to download, but there are a ton of in-app purchases. Expect to shell out $30 a year for all the editing features and to remove watermarks. More here.
68 to 70 degrees: Your thermostat’s sweet spot during winter to keep you comfy without raising your heating bill. Pro tip: Turn it down by 7 to 10 degrees for the hours you’re at work. You may save up to 10% a year. A smart thermostat makes it easy to maintain a schedule.
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📍 Google Maps pro tip: You don’t need to know the exact name of something to find it. Search Maps for general terms, like “plants and trees,” “frame shop” or “dog park,” and Google will find you spots that match.
Tip tap: Navigate with just your keyboard. On a PC, hit the Windows key + T to highlight the first icon on your taskbar, then use the arrow keys to move through the bar. Press Enter to open an app. On Mac, hold down Cmd + Tab for a list of open apps. Use the arrows to navigate, and release the keys when you reach the one you want.
Big Tech decides what you see: It doesn’t have to be that way. StartMail is my pick for the best privacy-first email. It’s super easy to switch over your contacts and mail, or you can treat it as a fresh inbox for only your VIPs. Save 60% now with my special link.
🔠 All work and no play: Get through your afternoon slump (or teach your kid to spell) by plugging this prompt into any chatbot: “Let’s play hangman. Think of a word, and I’ll guess one letter at a time. I get six wrong guesses before it’s game over. Each wrong answer adds a part to the hangman with ASCII art.” So fun!
3 signs there’s a card skimmer: Criminals put them on ATMs, gas pumps and payment terminals at grocery stores to steal your info. Red flags: 1.) The buttons on the PIN pad are off-center, 2.) They’re hard to push and 3.) Part of the pad is loose. If anything feels off, walk away. Better bet: Use your credit card’s tap-to-pay option, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Better than holding down the power button: Windows PCs have a hidden emergency restart when nothing will respond. Hold down Ctrl and click the power icon in the Start menu. You’ll get a dramatic-looking message warning you’ll lose any unsaved data. Click OK to restart immediately.
🥴 “What’d you say?” If you find yourself asking this more and more, it’s time to make a change. Forget the hearing aids your grandpa wore; today’s tech is so much better. These hearing aids have two tiny processors that analyze the sound around you to make conversations crystal clear. Incredible.
Apple menu > System Settings > Displays: Head there on your Mac to see options for how text is displayed. Make it bigger, smaller or have more space between lines. Play around and see what you like. In nerd speak, you’re changing your screen resolution.
📦 Packages ending up at the wrong house? Enter your address in Google Maps to see if it’s marked correctly. Press Suggest an edit (pencil icon) > Wrong address > Fix an address. Move the map to where your house is or type the correct info if you’re on a computer. Tap Submit.
Tailored advice: Create a “persona” for your AI chatbot when you write a prompt. Pick a role and give some context. For example, “Pretend you’re a graphic designer giving me feedback on my website’s color scheme and branding. What should I adjust?” You can do this with any role you can think of! More smarts like this are coming soon in my small-biz newsletter.
Get more cred: Don’t let your LinkedIn posts get lost in the digital abyss. The best time to post is a weekday during business hours, especially lunchtime between noon and 1 p.m. Bonus points for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
🔦 Light it up: On your iPhone, hold down the flashlight button and drag the slider up or down to control its brightness. One more: Say, “Siri, turn on the flashlight” when you need it, then tell her to turn it off, too.
50% off alert: My home security pick, SimpliSafe, is having a massive sale. Get all the gear to lock down your home. You’ll sleep better at night.