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đŁïž Personal narrator: Your phone can read webpages aloud. On iPhone, open a page on Safari, then say, âSiri, read this page.â For Android, go to Settings > Accessibility > Select to Speak and toggle on the shortcut. Open your browser, swipe up with two fingers and hit Play.
When it comes to tech myths, Iâve heard âem all. Thatâs why Iâm here to help you keep a handle on whatâs real and whatâs not. Before we dive in, just a few reminders: Macs can get viruses, closing apps will not save battery life, and your smartphoneâs memory doesnât die after two years.
Iâve run a broadcast business for over 25 years. I joke Iâm an overnight success, but the truth is it took a long time to get here. In the beginning, it was like any new small biz, shoved into a small, crappy workspace with bills piling up.
Everyone wants your Social Security number. Some requests are legit, like when youâre starting a new job, applying for a loan or verifying your identity.
But countless others, from data brokers to scammers, are after your nine-digit code, too. In fact, an estimated 2,400 data brokers operate in the U.S., collecting and selling billions of personal records, often without your knowledge. Some even offer âcredit header data,â which includes Social Security numbers, for as little as $5 per record.
Every morning, I sit down with my amazing executive producer, Madi, to plan what tech tidbits Iâm going to bring you in my national radio shows, podcasts and this newsletter. Today, she came in with a doozy.
Her boyfriend got an email with a tax form he wasnât expecting. Last year, he made about $20,000 on eBay selling comics, some bikes and a few other things. Like most folks getting a 1099âK for the first time, he has no idea just how much heâll owe yet.
Ever wonder why some people just seem to glow with health? No, itâs not a filter or some secret Hollywood lighting trick. (OK, for some people it is.) But for the lucky ones, itâs whatâs happening inside their body. And one of the biggest factors? Collagen.
Twenty-five-odd years ago, CBS and ABC execs told me tech was just a fad and passed on my national radio show. So, I syndicated it myself. The rest is history.
Now, I hear the same thing about AI: Itâs a phase, and it wonât last. Hate to break it to you, but AI is here to stay, and itâs already changing everything. Start using it now or risk getting left behind.
There are plenty of apps that reward you for doing things you probably already do. Iâm sure youâve seen ads for them. Youâre not going to pay your rent from the rewards you earn, but you might get enough perks to make your otherwise pointless scrolling worth it.
I always want you to get the most out of the goodies you buy. Your TV isnât just for watching Netflix or live sports; with a little know-how, it can become a productivity powerhouse, a charging station, a photo album and a streaming hub (even if itâs old). Let me show you how.
I know you felt it because I did, too. Watching coverage of the Los Angeles fires and, now, the destruction left in their wake, has been heartbreaking. A reader emailed me: âPeople had very little time to gather anything before they had to leave their houses. Iâd appreciate your advice on what to do before a catastrophe.â
DeepSeek, the blockbuster AI chatbot from Communist China, told me that 95% of global internet traffic flows through undersea cables. That wasnât surprising, but what came next was:
This is from the state-approved chatbot thatâs gone viral for blocking anything Communist China deems inappropriate.