Locked up tight: Fun privacy trick next time you use Gmail on the web: Click the little padlock icon at the bottom when creating a new email to put your message in “confidential mode.” You can set an expiration date and a passcode for your recipient to open the email.
Tags: confidentiality, emails, Gmail, privacy
When mobile apps first hit the scene, many were designed to make our phones more useful. This included new tools for productivity, as well as apps for entertainment. Many of today’s apps, though, are packed with sneaky permission requests and hidden trackers.
Today’s topic isn’t the most exciting — you might call it downright boring. If you don’t care about damaging your computer and losing your work because of a power outage, keep scrolling for the tech news you need to know. You won’t hurt my feelings.
They have feelings, too: Being polite to a chatbot can get you better results. AI mimics human reactions, so if you’re rude, it might hit you with short or wrong answers. Next time, throw in a “please” and follow up with a “Great job” or “That’s perfect.”
If you won’t be using your e-bike for a while, how much charge should you leave on the battery? Is it 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%?
If you can’t balance on one foot for that long, you have a higher fall risk. Falls are the leading cause of injuries and injury-related deaths in older adults (paywall link). One easy way to improve your balance is to stand on your nondominant leg while brushing your teeth. If you can last for 30 seconds, you’re doing great. Hold onto something if you’re wobbly, though, OK?
The VPN game has been seriously upgraded! My sponsor, ExpressVPN, recently rolled out a slew of feature-packed updates. ExpressVPN pushes the envelope to keep your digital life locked down, from ad-blockers to a beefed-up server network.
Too many cybercriminals are trying to worm their way into your system and steal from you. Even the most tech-savvy folks can be fooled. You don’t even need to click anything to download malware anymore.
That’s why you need powerful software to sniff out malicious files. I trust my sponsor, TotalAV. It’s simple to install and use, and it’s received the VB100 award for detecting more than 99% of malware samples for the last three years in a row. (Yeah, that’s a big deal.)
😸 The purr-fect translator? Computer scientists have developed MeowTalk, an AI app that can apparently tell you what your cat is saying. The free app records your feline’s meows and gives you phrases like “I’m annoyed” or “Feed me!” You can then rate how accurate it is, helping to refine the model. Will it work? Well, with over a billion meows analyzed … you’ve gotta be kitten me!
Deepfake scams: Billionaire Warren Buffett wants everyone to know he’s not endorsing any investment products or political candidates. Remember, whenever a celebrity or high-profile figure promotes something, always check their official social media accounts to confirm it’s legit.
Per gallon of gas for being an Amazon Prime member. Here’s how: Sign up for a free Earnify account, link it to your Prime membership at amazon.com/fuelsavings and boom — discount unlocked. Now, when you visit over 7,000 BP gas stations, just enter your phone number or use the Earnify app to save while you fill up.
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