🎮 Fix it for me: This is the start of something big. Nvidia’s Project G-Assist adjusts your game settings for you based on a conversation. Ask the AI questions like your current frame rate and how to improve it, and it’ll adjust your GPU, aka graphics card, for better performance.
Hearing aids 101: How they work and Kim’s top tech pick
Last year, my husband Barry got sick. We thought it was just a cold, but then, the strangest thing happened: He lost hearing in one ear because of a virus. After months of waiting, endless consultations and a lot of research, we learned how common this is.
About 1.5 billion people suffer from some kind of hearing loss, and viral infections are a major cause. That whole time, we struggled to talk to each other. Barry couldn’t hear me, and he didn’t want to try hearing aids.
One conversation changed that. “I use glasses to see. What’s different about using hearing aids to hear better?” He agreed to try them if I could find a good option he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable wearing. I got to work and found one I wanted to share with you, too.
First, how do hearing aids work?
The old clunky models you probably think of did one thing: Amplify sound. The microphone captures sound, the amplifier makes it louder and the speaker delivers it to your ear. Done.
Some of today’s hearing aids have an added high-tech component: Tiny processors that analyze the sound around you.
This means they don’t just make everything louder; they focus on the sounds you want to hear, like your friend’s voice in a loud restaurant. They even reduce annoying background noise.
Here’s where it gets cool
New hearing aids are packed with features you’d expect in a pair of high-end earbuds:
- Bluetooth connectivity: Stream music, podcasts or phone calls directly to your hearing aids. It’s your own personal sound system.
- Directional microphones: These focus on sound coming from specific directions, like zeroing in on a conversation and muting the chatter around you.
- Automatic adjustments: Some models can detect if you’re in a quiet library or a bustling restaurant and adjust their settings accordingly.
- Feedback suppression: No more awful high-pitched whistling.
Not all models are created equal
Barry asked for the best, and I took that seriously. Now, AirPods can work if your hearing loss is mild to moderate, but for anything more severe, you need tech built for the job. I looked into a lot of brands and found hear.com.
How to take the perfect profile pic for social media sites
Your profile picture is more important than you might think. It’s your chance to make a good first impression on the world. That’s why you must know how to take the perfect profile picture for all your accounts.
Say you’re applying for a new job. Potential employers will run background checks on your social media presence. You need to have good pictures that show you at your best.
Windows 10 and 11 update: Patch Tuesday is the monthly bug cleanup. This one fixes eight zero-day flaws and 159 others. Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and hit Check for updates.
Is your TV watching you?
Ever feel like your TV knows exactly what you want to watch or eat? It’s not magic. Your settings are giving it away. Here’s how to stop it.
Ex marks the spot: Kevin and Sally Reid were civil after their 20-year relationship ended … until Sally started dating again. That’s when Kevin secretly changed her phone’s location settings to track her and stuck an AirTag on her car. She took the tracking device to the police, who found the guy’s prints. Smart move, Sally. He’ll be sentenced in April.
That’s refreshing: Refresh rates (found in your computer’s display settings) control how things look on your screen. For regular work and browsing, go with 60Hz. For gaming or video editing, try 120Hz or 144Hz. Competitive gamers use 240Hz or higher. Now you know!
Buzz off: Your Amazon Echo will store your voice recordings for analysis — unless you tell it not to. From the app on your phone, choose More > Settings > Alexa Privacy > Review Voice History.
✋ One handy tip: Your phone has a one-handed setting built in … good if you have small hands or you’re always multitasking. On Android, go to Settings > System > Gestures > One-handed Mode. To shrink only the keyboard, hit the four-box icon above it and choose One-handed. On iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch, and turn on Reachability. Now, hold the globe button below the keyboard, then tap the keyboard icon with an arrow.
Apple Music trick: Instead of the fullscreen program, try the mini player on your Mac. With Apple Music open, hit Window > Switch to Mini Player. Want it to show all the time? Go to Music > Settings > Advanced and check the box to keep it as the top window.
Calling back a random number? Hide yours first. Punch in star, 6 and 7, followed by the number you’re calling, and that’s it. The caller will see “Private” or “Blocked.” If you want your number hidden all the time, change the settings on your smartphone. On an iPhone, tap Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID. Toggle it Off. On Android, the option is called Hide Number.
Start fresh: You can reset your browser’s settings to wipe out bugs and improve its performance. In Chrome, go to Settings > Reset settings. Look for a similar option in your browser of choice.
Teach Alexa your voice: I had Barry do this because she only understood me. In the Alexa app, go to More > Settings > Your Profile & Family > Your Profile > Add Your Voice. Even still, Alexa likes me better.
LinkedIn upgrade: To stand out, upload your resume (go to Jobs > Application settings) and select “yes” to Share your resume data with recruits. Fill out your career history and add as much as possible to the “Skills” section. If you’re hiring, use my link to post a job for free.
🐶 Update your Apple TV: Snoopy screensavers dropped in tvOS 18.2, and they’re so much cuter than the standard option. To change yours, on Apple TV, go to Settings > Screen Saver > Snoopy. This works with second- and third-gen Apple TV 4K models. (Psst, to update to 18.2, head to Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software.)
Wait, what? You can reread that Android notification you didn’t fully look at the first time. Head to your Settings and tap Notifications > Notification History to view that push alert.
📺 Psst! Most newer TVs have a secret menu: Turn on your TV and press the menu button on your remote. Go to the settings or advanced settings menu. Press the following buttons on your remote in this order: Mute, 1, 8, 2, power. This should bring up the service menu. From here, you can more accurately adjust the white balance, do a factory reset, refine the color levels or calibrate the screen.
Subtitles rock: My son, Ian, switched them on one day and I won’t go back! You can change how they look to make them easier to read. On the Netflix TV app, pause your show and open Settings. Choose Size and Style to change ‘em. On the Hulu TV app, go to your profile > Settings > Subtitles and Captions. Change the color, opacity and shadowing.
Mac magic: Hit the Apple menu > System Settings > Mouse (if you have one) or Trackpad (on a MacBook). You’ll find all kinds of settings you can adjust to your heart’s desire, including cursor speed and how hard you have to tap your trackpad to click.