Hey, hello, hi there on this fine Thursday. Today's trivia is perfect if you want to keep up with Gen Z texting slang. What do they mean when using the acronym "SOS?" Is it … A.) Save our souls, B.) Same old stuff, C.) “Seriously the best” or D.) “This sucks?” You'll find the answer at the end.

😀 We’re having a ball! Are you watching my weekday podcast? We stream live on YouTube, Rumble, X, Twitch and Facebook. You can catch past eps at those links, too. Tune in at 11:30 a.m. MST, and I’ll see you there! Oh, and be sure to leave a nice comment, too! — Kim

I admit it — whenever I look for a recipe online, I get annoyed when I have to scroll, scroll and scroll. Listen, I know your grandma had the best chocolate chip cookies, and chicken soup healed your soul back in 1997. I just want the recipe.

Bright idea: Copy the recipe’s URL into Just The Recipe to strip away the junk. It’ll give you just the ingredients and steps you need. Even easier, on a PC, hit Ctrl + F and type “Print” to go right to the recipe. On a Mac, it’s Cmd + F.

But what if you have no idea what to cook? Let’s get you out of tastebud boredom.

AI can do that for you

And, of course, there’s an app (or 1,000) for that.

Tell me what I want: After a whole day of making decisions, sometimes you can’t do it anymore. Tasty recommends meal plans and recipes based on your preferences. The community is super active, so if everyone thinks a recipe has too much salt, you’ll know.

▶️ Download for iPhone or Android.

As seen on TV: Cook like a celebrity! OK, maybe not, but Food Network Kitchen has recipes from your favorite cooking show hosts, plus videos and tutorials if you need a refresher on how to, say, chiffonade basil. I want to make Ina Garten’s lentil soup.

▶️ Download for iPhone or Android.

The spinach is slimy: How many times have you started making dinner and realized you forgot something — or that a key ingredient has gone bad? Use Substitutions to find alternatives. No more last-minute trips to the store … or takeout. Great for folks with allergies, too, or when your kid goes vegan (again).

▶️ This one is iPhone only.

Final recipe pro tip

Always scan the comments! If there aren’t any, that’s not a great sign. If a bunch of people say the chicken needs longer in the oven, they might be onto something. And if Diane is complaining because her eight substitutions didn’t work, ignore her.

Speaking of … A food critic was stealing pie recipes under the guise of rating and reviewing various bakeries. Turns out, she was pie-rating. (Oh, yeah, I’m giving myself five stars for that one!)

📉 I’m SEC‑C and I know it: Remember the SEC’s X hack? Hackers duped the SEC's mobile carrier into a “SIM swap,” taking control of the phone number associated with the commission’s X account. This lets the bad guys intercept texts, calls and 2FA codes.

Not stock advice: The “Magnificent Seven” (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla) added $5 trillion to the market last year. Wish I had a time machine … I’d let you know if this year will be the same.

🔇 I can’t hear you: Microsoft's latest Windows 11 update, KB5034204, squashes annoying Bluetooth audio issues (plus 24 other known problems). Go to Settings > Windows Update > Download and Install.

Because Bard isn’t catching on: Google Chrome is getting three new AI features — a “writing helper” for your social media rants, a “tab organizer” for digital hoarders and a custom “theme creator” to spice up your browser. Ahem, boring.

Rock, paper, scissors: A computer scientist showed how a pen, a $10 forged voter card or a $100 USB drive can rig Georgia's voting machines. Despite that, Georgia says, nope, they’re secure. The goal? Convince the court to go with good ol' paper ballots for 2024's votes.

🍎 The check really is in the mail: Apple is paying up for slowing down old iPhones. Checks for $92.17 are landing in mailboxes from "Re Apple Inc Device Performance Litigation." No scam alert needed, folks — they're the real deal.

🎬 Netflix and bill: Goodbye to the $11.99 ad-free Basic plan. Now, if you want ad-free Netflix, it's $15.49. If you’re willing to watch ads, it's $6.99 a month.

Innovation or imitation? Apple says its wheel-less, self-driving car could, maybe, possibly be here in 2028. Rumor has it they’re aiming for a Tesla-like, semi-autonomous ride. Still no prototype, but insiders say it's just a copycat.

The app saves a whole lot of data that can eat up storage. Time for a refresh. It’s easy.

🤣 I'm gonna change my Facebook name to “Benefits.” When someone adds me, it’ll say, “You are now friends with Benefits.”

👀 Eye see you: Looking down at screens all day strains your neck muscles and ligaments. Hold your phone at eye level when you text. You’ll feel silly at first, but no more neck aches!

Calling all small-biz owners and marketers: Not sure if you can use a font or image in your email marketing? Plug it into this free tool to see if the major email providers will display it correctly.

📸 Need for speed: Timelapse videos make mundane things exciting, like a sunset or all the cars that drive past your home in an hour. On an iPhone or Android, open the Camera and select Timelapse mode. Tap the Record button to start recording; tap it again to stop recording.

Add to cart: When you want a deal, try this. Put whatever you want in your cart online, make an account, then leave the website. Check your email later, because I bet you’ll get a coupon code to convince you to buy. I do this all the time!

Running a successful business comes down to having the right people in the right roles. Hiring is a big job and a huge time-suck — unless you use the tools that make it easier.

LinkedIn is a no-brainer. Millions of people are there every single day hunting for their next career move. We’re hiring for freelance writers, an editor for this newsletter, a video guy or gal to edit clips, and a marketing manager to grow our team.

I know, it’s a lot! But trust me when I say I have big goals this year, and we need the right folks to make it happen. (Psst, if you know anyone, send them my way!)

Work smarter, not harder!

The answer: D.) “This sucks.” Let's use it in a sentence: "Tickets are $1,500 to Taylor Swift's concert, which is so‑o‑o‑o SOS!" That Taylor Swift is such a force, she did something football fans thought was impossible — she made the sport more popular than ever.

One more for the road: What did the football player say to the flight attendant? “Put me in coach.”

💌 Know what’d make this even more fun? Having your friends on board! Share it with them using your unique link below and invite them to sign up.

See you tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA! Until then, stay awesome, my friend! 👋 — Kim