A lot of people think once their Airtag dies, they have to throw it away. I am here to bust that myth with 3 simple steps to change your Airtag battery. *No tools required
Best AI tools for search, productivity, fun and work
In the past week, I’ve used AI to analyze a loved one’s health care records, create replies for a bunch of emails and map out two weeks in Europe. I used it to make a pic of me look better, too.
I know the wide world of AI tools is overwhelming, so I’m breaking it down today. Consider what’s below your primer on where to start if you’re brand new to the AI game or want to try out some new tools.
💸 FYI, almost all these tools offer at least some free access when you make an account. I never pay for an app or service until I try it out and make sure I truly like it.
Smarter search
Google slaps AI results at the top of its search pages now, but their AI stinks. Try these instead when you’re looking for info:
- ChatGPT: I use it as a brainstorming buddy. Type in what you need and it can help you generate ideas, break down tasks, clean up your writing, fix your spreadsheets — whatever.
- Perplexity: It’s built for research and learning, and it’s my go-to for questions like “How do black holes work?” or “Explain the Ninth Amendment.”
- Poe: Try dozens of AI models, each with its own “personality” and specialty. StableDiffusionXL is A+ for creating art, and Claude-3-Haiku is popular for creative writing. You can make your own bots, too. Heads-up: Full subscription access to Poe costs a lot — $200 a year.
Get stuff done
My favorite part about AI is all the time it saves. Another perk is correcting its occasionally wrong answers. 💁♀️ Always double-check the results if you’re using AI for something super important, OK?
- Google NotebookLM: I’m super impressed by this one. Upload audio, notes, documents or any other files, then you can search them, find citations (from your own docs) or even produce a snazzy podcast based on your files.
- Revamp your resume: For free options, check out NovoResume, Teal or Rezi. Try them all, then pick your favorite or do a little testing and apply to jobs with all three!
- Canva’s Magic Studio: Create graphics, presentations or your family Christmas card. Easy to use and there are a ton of templates that look great.
For a little fun
Feeling creative? I’m no artist and still have a lot of fun playing around with these.
- Riffusion: This app lets you upload a picture and get a whole song about it. Here’s mine about an owl hanging out by my pool. Get it here for Apple and Android.
- Sonoteller.ai: Type in an artist and song (or drop in a YouTube link) for a full analysis of the lyrics and music. Today, I learned “Uptown Girl” is in E major.
- Make a video about anything: Synthesia.io and Hypernatural.ai both offer a few free videos to try out their services.
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.
Don’t be a pill
Avoid double dosing or forgetting medications with these handy organizers and tools.
- Keep all your pills in one place. This super-duper organizer has six sections, including one extra-large compartment, to streamline your meds or supplements. Grab it on sale for $12.
- Organize your pills by the time and day for a full week. This one gets points for portability — bring the colorful day’s capsule with you. It’s on sale for $9.49.
- Fill this organizer once a month and you’re done, a.m. and p.m.
- Easily see if you (or a loved one) have taken today’s medications by setting out this simple visual tracker. It’s an affordable $14 solution.
- Great for over-the-counter meds while traveling, too, this organizer comes with label stickers, and it’s only $6.99.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
🔋 iNeed you to know this: The battery in an AirTag lasts about a year. Once it dies, you don’t need to trash it like lots of people do. We put together an awesome video with exact steps to swap the battery yourself, no tools required!
3 free AI music tools
Want to create a hit song? I’ve got a couple of AI tools that can make music in seconds — plus, I’ll share a track I made myself! You won’t want to miss this.
🕵️♂️ Once on the internet, always on the internet: New AI tools can now search through your social media history to find things you said or did years ago in seconds. One, Ferretly, helps employers spot red flags like hate speech, drug use and bullying, going as far back as 10 to 15 years. Clean up your online footprint.
Affordable upgrades
Problem, meet solution. Inexpensive hacks that make life easier:
- This fridge lazy Susan spins around the stuff that gets stuck in the back of the top shelf. It’s on sale for $19.99.
- Fix loose outlets — no more half-in, half-out plugs! Get a 15-pack on sale for $6.99.
- Food storage lids can be a mess. This bamboo organizer keeps ‘em all in check.
- Hang up your cooking tools with under-cabinet rotating hooks. A space saver and an organizer for just $7.99.
- Your coffee mug, drink and remote will fit in this pillow. Plus, it’s 14% off in black. Movie night perfection.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
How to use ChatGPT for your job interview
Nail your next job interview with a little help from AI. These simple tools can break down the role and prep you with mock interviews, so you’re ready for anything.
Grammarly who? Google is adding more AI-powered writing tools to Gmail. Open a draft, select Help me write and type 12 or more words. Click Refine my draft to polish, formalize, elaborate, shorten or even start fresh. The catch? It’s available if you pay for Google One AI Premium or the Gemini add-on for Workspace.
How to use AI to improve your resume
Applying for jobs but not getting any responses? Here’s how AI tools can help spot what might be holding your resume back.
AI madness: Elon Musk’s updated Grok image generator for X Premium and Premium+ subscribers just dropped, and it’s a wild one. Unlike other AI tools, this one creates uncensored images of real people in real locations doing some seriously weird things … like this absurd AI pic of Trump and Harris kissing.
🖼️ Color me impressed: Mark Zuckerberg announced the other day Meta’s AI model will be open-sourced, unlike Google’s version or OpenAI. I’ve been playing with Meta AI’s image tools. Use the prompt, “Imagine a photo (cartoon, watercolor or whatever)” and what you want it to create. Now, there are six fingers on some hands and other anomalies, but for version 1.0, it’s darn good. Try it here.
How AI can save you time
From gardening to packing your luggage, AI tools can take care of the boring stuff, so you don’t have to.
✍️ It’s come to this: Website builder Wix just launched some new AI tools to add content to your website. The AI pulls info from your existing site and then drafts posts. All you have to do is edit afterward. The web is going to be fully loaded with AI content before you know it.
Free video editing software
Just back from vacation and ready to create a family movie? You don’t need expensive editing software — these free tools will do the trick!
📸 iPhone editing trick: Use this next time a pic is almost perfect. Select an image and zoom in using two fingers. The option to crop your photo will appear on the top right of your device. Tap it, crop or adjust your pic using the editing tools, then tap Done.
File cleanup: You have separate PDFs that should all be in one file. In Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools > Combine Files to merge multiple PDFs into a single file. Don’t pay for Adobe? No sweat. Here’s a free site I like for editing PDFs.
🪣 Leaky bucket: Two free PDF makers, PDF Pro and Help PDF, have somehow made public over 89,000 documents uploaded by their users We’re talking passports, driver’s licenses, certificates and more. People are still using these PDF tools, even as their private data leaks onto the web. Don’t be one of them.
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