Hi, hey, hello! It’s Saturday, my tech-loving friend! Let’s kick this party off with techy trivia. Google is still the most-visited website in the world. What’s No. 2? Is it … A.) Facebook, B.) YouTube, C.) Wikipedia or D.) Chinese search engine Baidu? Answer’s at the end!

😳 Your personal info is all over the internet. Your information can change hands for just a few bucks, and scammers are all over that — but they’re not the only ones. Data brokers sell everything from your address to your Social Security number to anyone willing to pay. Enter Incogni. They scrub your personal info from the web. — Kim

We’re about to enter the holiday week madness. Before you kick back and enjoy a cold one at the barbecue, I want you to have your tech life in order! Use these techy tips to make this Fourth of July a breeze.

On desktop

• Just tell me how long to cook the wings: Find the perfect recipe online but don’t want to read all the fluff preceding it? Use Ctrl + F (Windows) or Cmd + F (Mac), then search for “ingredients” or “print.” This will shoot you right down to the recipe.
• Ready to close those work tabs? Leave your mouse alone and close the tab with your keyboard. On Windows, press Ctrl + W. On a Mac, it’s Cmd + W.
• Give your tech a vacation: A restart ends background processes, clears the cache and RAM, and speeds up things. After you read this newsletter, turn your phone off and back on. Do the same with your computer for extra credit!

On your phone

• For action shots, kids and pets: Try Burst mode. On an iPhone XS or later, swipe the shutter button to the left. Now, lift your finger to stop Burst mode and select the best pics by tapping Burst > Select > Done. On Android or iPhone X or earlier, hold down your shutter button.
• Remember to respond to the family chat: Mark a text as unread just like you would in your email inbox so you remember to respond. On iPhone, swipe right on a conversation. On Android, hold down on a conversation, tap the three dots, then select Mark it as unread.
• Read the fine print on the fireworks: Your smartphone has a digital magnifying glass to make minuscule text crisp and clear.
  • On iPhone, search for Magnifier. Use the slider to zoom in and tap the flashlight icon in low-light conditions.
  • On Android, it’s under Settings > Accessibility > Magnification.

With your smart assistant

• Forgot why you walked into the kitchen? Love this trick to use with your smartphone assistant. Say, "Remind me to do [task] when I get to [location]." Perfect for when you need to do something specific when you arrive at a place, like, "Remind me to defrost the chicken when I get home."
• Find your crew in a crowd: If you’re lost, ask your smartphone where you are — really! You’ll get your current location on a map, which you can then share to help folks find you. Just say, "Hey, Siri” or “Hey, Google,” followed by, “Where am I?"
• Don’t forget the mustard: Say, "Hey [voice assistant name], add condiments to my shopping list." To create and update your grocery list with Amazon Alexa, check your list in the Alexa app under Lists & Notes. For Google Assistant, find your list in the Google Keep app.

🥩 I was thinking of trying my hand at the smoker this Fourth of July, but the steaks are too high. I’m not gonna brisket.

Here’s a number that’ll make you roll your eyes: Spammers are expected to send out over 150% more texts year over year. We’re talking millions of junk texts sent every day. Curious where they get your info to begin with?

Your info can change hands for less than the price of a cup of coffee. Data brokers and people-search sites hawk it to anyone willing to pay. And, yes, it’s all legal as long they give you a way to opt out.

Here’s the trick … They make the opt-out process as difficult as possible and change it just when folks figure it out. My pro tip: Try Incogni. Create an account and then let Incogni scrub your personal info from the web. Goodbye, spam texts and calls.

🔫 Drone down: A 72-year-old guy in Florida shot down a Walmart delivery drone, and now he’s facing felony charges. No word on why, but he’s a good shot: He hit whatever the drone was carrying with his 9mm pistol. PSA: Drone deliveries are not prizes for skeet shooting.

Wait till next weekend to buy a car: That cyberattack I told you about over a week ago is still hard at work. It brought down the software that powers more than half of the nation’s car dealerships (paywall link). Expect pen and paper contracts and a long wait if you go.

😵‍💫 54% of the time, folks thought they were chatting with a real human, not ChatGPT‑4. In a study, people had five minutes to chat over text before being asked to guess whether it was another person they were chatting with or AI. Insane we’re already at coin-flip numbers.

Bad ads: Fake Google ads for browser company Arc are routing people to a landing page that looks nearly identical to the real one. When you install the software, malware sends your data to a shady IP address. Tip: If a download tells you to right-click to open instead of just double-clicking, it’s a scam. That’s a trick they use to bypass macOS security.

Ask for forgiveness, not permission: Microsoft now automatically backs up your files to OneDrive — yep, without asking. Want to deactivate it? Right-click on the OneDrive icon > Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup and deactivate any folders you don’t want synced.

🚲 A big hill to climb: Peloton’s dropped three of its star instructors from its roster. Their money situation is shaky at best, and there’s a rumored private equity takeover coming. I guess their overnight success might’ve just been a flash in the pan (or a stationary bike in the pandemic).

💁‍♀️ You look so good: That’s what they'll say when you try my tricks to look your best in photos.

DIY with the kids (or alone — I won’t judge): Sweet tutorial here on how to make a projector with a shoebox and other stuff you probably have lying around. Super fun!

“Mom, I need help!” Learn how voice-cloning scams work so you don’t fall for one.

Today’s Wordle is “STRESS.” Watch this quick vid to see why psychologists are saying some folks should stop puzzlin’.

Car rental nightmare: You find a sweet deal on Facebook Marketplace … then, this happens.

If your e-reader dies after two days, or if you want to finally grab one, good news: The Kindle Scribe bundle is at the lowest price it’s ever been. You get a 16GB Kindle, leather cover, pen and power adapter for under $275 (normally $439.97!).

Bring it back: Don't panic if you've accidentally deleted important photos or videos on your Mac. Open the Photos app and follow the Recently Deleted link in the sidebar. Your “deleted” files stick around for 30 days.

Put it on the tab(s): Windows File Explorer can use tabs, just like your web browser. Click the + (plus) on the toolbar at the top to create a new tab. You can also right-click on folders and pick Open in new tab. Nice.

Do this before your Fourth of July shindig: You can easily find your lost phone if you set this up ahead of time. Hey, why not do it now?

• For iPhone: Go to Settings > [your name] > Find My. Tap Find My iPhone, then turn on Find My iPhone. To see your device even when it’s offline, turn on Find My network.
• On Android: Go to Settings > Security > Find My Device. Or try Security & location or Google > Security. Make sure Find My Device is turned on.

• Cleaning grout is a pain. Try a pen that restores the color and removes crud.
• Make your jewelry sparkle with a top-rated pen that cleans diamonds, precious metals and whatever else ya got. (Best $10 you’ll spend this month.)
• A purse, bag and desk drawer staple for the clumsy among us: A Tide pen.
• Know which glass (wine or otherwise) belongs to each person with colorful pens meant specifically for writing on glass.
• Write checks no one can wash with these Uniball pens I like. They’re around $9 for a four-pack right now.

I’m just gonna go sit with the dog.

The answer: C.) YouTube, followed by Facebook, Instagram, Baidu and Wikipedia, in that order. Next time you’re on YouTube, subscribe to my page! Here, just click this link. Now you’ll never miss a great vid.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out Incogni. It’s the best thing I’ve done for my privacy in a long time — truly. Love getting zero spam calls and texts! Plus, use the code Kim60 to get 60% off.

🍼 See you back here tomorrow with a tip for all the parents and grandparents: Smart nursery tech. Wish all this existed when Ian was a baby! — Kim