Netflix shortcuts: Try these next time you’re watching from a browser. Hit F for full-screen mode and Esc to exit. Hit the spacebar to play and pause. M mutes, and the up and down arrows control the volume. Sweet!
5 hidden fees costing your small business money
Starting your own business can be exciting, but it often comes with a rocky road ahead. Those rocks will cut into your wallet through several expenses. Miscalculating the daily costs of running a company can hurt you in the long run.
Although some fees are hard to miss, others can slip through the cracks. Those can cost you a ton of cash over time. Here are five hidden fees that may have slipped past your radar.
1. Too many accounts for the same program
Let’s say you need to use an expensive program that charges per user. If you have five login accounts but only three people need them, you’re paying for two subscriptions you don’t use. Take stock of the resources you pay for and analyze how many workers use them.
Maybe you’re paying for a team to use expensive accounting software, for example. But if only one person uses it, you should demote your subscription to a single-person plan.
This is an easy mistake, especially when you have a high turnover. One employee may have set up a paid account before leaving the company. Since they’re gone, you should delete their accounts. There’s no sense in paying for an account that’s no longer in use.
2. Using an expensive subscription when a cheaper one will do
It’s tempting to pay for the highest tier. Maybe you found cutting-edge accounting software with a ton of features. Unless you’re using all of those features, you’re probably paying for more than you need.
You can save money by ensuring you aren’t automatically signing up for a top-of-the-line subscription when you’d be fine down a tier or two. Sometimes, the cheapest subscription will serve all your needs — and put extra money in your pocket.
3. Tricky phone bills
Unexpected fees can pop up, making your phone bill hard to comprehend. There are many parts to understand, from calling plans and services to taxes, surcharges and miscellaneous fees.
That’s why we recommend auditing your phone service. It’s common for business leaders to buy phone service and cross it off their mental list forever. That’s not a good idea, though — the market changes, prices go up and you can overpay if you don’t check in now and then.
Haven't logged into LinkedIn lately? 5 reasons you really should be using it
How much do you know about LinkedIn? Sure, you probably understand it’s a social network for professionals, but it’s so much more.
Unlike most social networks that are used to share the latest vacation pictures, LinkedIn was designed for more important reasons. It can help you make connections, share work experience and find or post jobs.
🦁 This cheetah isn’t lion: Professional blackjack and poker players say tech is powering cheating schemes in casinos. People pass info via tiny cameras hidden in their shirts at card level, then get feedback through earbuds from card counters outside. Two players won $220,000. Speaking of … Never play poker with a toilet — too many flushes.
$100-plus
Potential per-hour rates for a professional back-scratcher. It’s not just scratching someone’s back; you play with their hair, too. One pro scratcher quit her six-figure job to open a spa. Now, she’s making even more money.
Small-biz tip: How to onboard a remote employee
If you’re a small business owner, onboarding a new employee virtually can be a huge undertaking. Taking a new hire out to lunch, giving them a tour of the office and introducing them to coworkers is often an integral part of the experience, but that might not be possible if you hire remote employees.
Your smartwatch isn’t as accurate as you think
Sensors in today’s smartwatches can detect your heartbeat, track how you sleep and even monitor blood oxygen levels. We’re not far from your watch tracking your blood sugar … and possibly sending reports about it to your doctor.
Keep your battery level over 0%: Letting your phone die does more than leave you without a way to play Wordle. It can also degrade your battery over time. Keep a portable charger on hand and power up before you hit 0%.
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Master Excel with these 5 genius tricks
You can’t keep track of everything on paper. Excel can play a significant role in your daily workload. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro user, there’s much to learn — like these five useful Excel tricks.
Want to become an Excel expert? It’s a good strategy for small business owners who want to grow this year. After all, you’ll generate tons of data. Speaking of which, here’s how to stop third parties from selling your data.
🧱 Keep calm and Lego on: Lego wanted to ditch paper instructions and go all digital, hoping to play their part in building a sustainable future. Fans said, “No way,” so paper instructions aren’t going anywhere … for now. Gift idea: If you haven’t seen the Lego sets for adults, these are amazing. I gifted some last year and everyone loved them.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
1 in 5 remote workers
Naps during the workday. A new survey revealed 33% of remote workers take calls in the bathroom and 17% watch TV or play video games. Working hard or hardly working?
YouTube now shows ads when you hit pause: The video shrinks to the left, and an ad pops up on the right. To make it disappear, hit play or click Dismiss. YouTube calls it a “less interruptive” experience, but the normal ads play just as often. Ahem, they want you to pay $13.99 a month for ad-free Premium.
Scam emails we got this week – Don’t fall for this junk!
Eight billion. That’s how many spam emails go out in the U.S. every single day. Komando staff (me included!) have received some real winners recently. Here’s a look at actual spam emails circulating right now. I want to keep you safe from junk like this, so read carefully!
🚨 Watching you, watching me: Nearly 1.3 million Android TV boxes across 197 countries are infected with Vo1d malware. Compromised devices include the R4 TV Box, the KJ-SMART4KVIP and TV Box models that use Android 12.1. All run outdated Android versions with unpatched security holes. If you have an Android TV box, make sure the firmware is updated and that it’s Play Protect certified.
Science anus as easy as it seems: The Ig Nobel Prize (a play on the Nobel Prize) honors those doing quirkier work. Some of this year’s award-winning discoveries: Real plants can imitate the shapes of nearby fake plants, a coin is more likely to land on the side it started (heads or tails), and many mammals can breathe through their anuses. Yup, you read that right.
I’m not easily rattled: I don’t miss using a Nokia cellphone, but there was something soothing about playing the built-in Snake game. Want to play? Search online for “Google Snake,” and it’ll pop up right in your browser.
How to spot an AI-generated image: Tips, tricks and pro tools
Forget trying to spot if a pic of a model was photoshopped. (It was.) Now we can’t even trust if the person we see in a photo or video is real.
Fear not, I’m here to help you navigate the pixelated wilderness. Let’s look at the seven telltale signs an image is AI-generated.
⚡ Power play: Ford is partnering with utility company Southern California Edison to pay EV owners for sending power back to the grid. Drivers can earn $1 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Sweet deal, considering fast-charging costs about $0.50 per kWh. The catch: You’ll need V2G (vehicle-to-grid) tech that costs anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000.
Recent health studies you need to know now
Did you know video games are good for your health? No, really! I’m a health nut, so I keep up with studies that have practical takeaways for a better, longer life. Spoiler: Your parents were right about eating your broccoli.
Android alert: Malware called SpyAgent is disguising itself within 280 banking apps and streaming services. This one is smart enough to recognize images and is stealing crypto wallet recovery phrases saved as screenshots. Stay safe: Only download apps from the official Google Play Store and never screenshot your passwords or seed phrases.