Be AI aware

March 26, 2024

Be AI aware: Facebook’s new algorithm is filling people’s feeds with AI-generated images, and older adults are falling hard for their tricks. Quick crash course: Look for unnaturally smooth textures, gibberish text, and unusual teeth and fingers. I do a deep dive in tomorrow’s newsletter about spotting election fakes online, so be sure you don’t miss it.

Tags: algorithm, crash, Facebook, generated images, Images, Newsletter, older adults, online, tricks

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Smart tips for enjoying the sun's total eclipse safely

Turn around, bright eyes — a total eclipse of the sun is coming on April 8 (they played that song at my high school prom! 💃). This is your last chance to see a full eclipse from the lower 48 states until 2044.

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Shop safer online with virtual cards

Scammers love to dupe you with fake deals, get you to pay for subscriptions you don’t need, or grab your payment info on a spoof checkout page that looks just like the real deal.

On the other hand, I want to keep you safe and save you money. One of my go-to tricks for secure online shopping might be one you’ve never even heard of.

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🖌️ Stroke of genius: Instead of reformatting lots of cells in Excel, look for the paintbrush. It’s called the Format Painter, and it’ll copy the font, color, style and anything else you did from one cell to the next cell(s) you click. This works for formatting in Microsoft Word and Google Docs, too.

Talk to an actual person at Amazon

For confusing situations, skip the forms and bots. An Amazon customer service rep will call you if you know this trick.

While logged into your Amazon account, go to the Contact us page.
Choose the issue that most closely matches your problem, then go through the form. At the end, choose Request a phone call.
Click that, enter your phone number, and you’ll see an estimated time before you receive the call. I’ve never waited more than three minutes. Have your order number handy!

📲 If you do need a phone number for Amazon Customer Service, it’s 1-888-280-4331. You might want to save that in your contacts. I don’t want you to get scammed by Googling support numbers that turn out fake.

✅ Quick security boost: Check to see that no one else is poking around your account.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Add an emoji faster with a Windows keyboard shortcut. Just hold down the Windows key + . (period) and voila! 👏

Flex your creative muscles: Try the free, open-source digital painting program Krita. It’s got a clean interface and is super-easy to use, especially considering how much it can do. If you’re brand-new to digital art, check out the tutorials. Hello, new hobby.

Running out of outlets? This $9.99 multi-plug outlet extender can turn two outlets into five, plus it gives you four USB ports. It’s also a 1680-joule surge protector! Get it for 50% off right now. I bought two because that’s such a great deal.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

RIP: Check your phone’s end-of-life (EOL) date. That’s when it’ll no longer get security updates — and when you really should stop using it. Try endoflife.date to find your EOL.

Catch up on my podcast: If you have a bunch to get through, adjust the playback speed. Look for “1x” or similar in your podcast player. Tap that, and you’ll see options to speed up (or slow down) the playback. Pro tip: Only speed up your listening by .25x or .5x, and give your brain time to adapt. Have you tried my Daily Tech Update podcast? You’ll love it!

Taking a pic? Don’t say “cheese.” Saying “yoga” when smiling will make you look a lot better. You’re welcome.