Get it together

March 2, 2024

Get it together: Microsoft’s beefing up its Copilot AI chatbot for Excel and Outlook. They say it’ll make life easier for finance pros, but hold the applause. The latest version of Outlook sends unencrypted passwords, emails, contacts, calendar details and even passwords straight to Microsoft’s servers when you add a new email account. No fix yet, so stick to using Outlook’s web version for now, not the desktop client.

Tags: calendar, chatbot, contacts, Copilot, email, emails, Excel, fix, Outlook, passwords, servers

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How to delete yourself from the internet

I feel lucky to have the job I do. Every day, I help folks stay up to date on tech and help solve all those digital-life problems Google just can’t answer.

And after all these years, I’ll toot my own horn a little and say there’s not much that stumps me anymore. I did get a question recently, though, on my daily podcast that had a not-so-happy answer.

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Jumping rope is an old-school, super-effective way to get that heart pumping. It’s easy to lose count (or motivation). Enter smart jump ropes. Yep, they count your skips. I wonder how many in a row I could get.

$10B down the drain

Total spend on the now-scrapped Apple Car. Apple told employees last week the project is dead after 10 years. The internal code name for the car was “Titan” — but employees are calling it the “Titanic disaster.”

Get instant disposable email addresses

Apple and Google let you create “burner emails” to save your inbox from spam. I choose this over giving out my real email address when I’m trying to score a coupon code or a site I’m just browsing requires contact info.

Got an Apple device? The Hide My Email feature lets you generate random email addresses when you fill out an online form or sign up for a website.

It pops up when you fill out online forms or sign up for a website.
Emails sent to the generated address go to your iCloud account.

Using Gmail? To create an alias in Gmail, add a + (plus sign) after your address, followed by the name of the site, like first.last+target@gmail.com. If you start getting spam, delete that email address. That’s it!

🗺️ Just got an email from Google detailing how they’ve devised a way to read maps backward. Turns out it was spam.

Before you leave for vacation, update your devices. “Kim, who cares?” You should! Cybercriminals are notorious for targeting folks on public Wi-Fi at airports, hotels and tourist spots, and the most recent flaws are a good way in since folks wait to update.

Your boss sent you a Word doc again … And you don’t have the program installed. Not all is lost — you can get a basic, free version of the Office app on the web, as long as you have a Microsoft account (yes, this is free, too).

Avoid a Wi-Fi traffic jam: Most routers let you switch channels for a clearer signal. Log into your router’s online interface. (Check the manual or online guide if you’re not sure how.) Look for Wireless Settings and find the Channel option. Channels 1, 6 or 11 are typically less congested. Reboot your router and you’re good to go.

Part of a data breach? Add a fraud alert to your credit report. This flags you as a potential victim of fraud to anyone processing a credit application. Timesaver: You only need to contact one of the three credit bureaus.

Hello, sunshine: I try to take a nice, long walk every day. FYI, the built-in step counter on your phone is just OK. The Map My Walk app is way more accurate. Try it for iPhone or Android.

Shake it off: Stop tapping backspace a million times when you mistyped something. Shake your phone quickly, and it’ll undo your most recently entered text. Works on Android and iPhone.