The Current-Sun Plus: Major retailers hacked, Circle to Search (so cool), Microsoft’s reading coach | | | Superb Sunday wishes, friend! On this day in 1978, the soundtrack for "Saturday Night Fever" began a 24-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album charts, eventually selling over 40 million copies worldwide. Burn, baby, burn — welcome to your tech know-how inferno! ✅ Tomorrow is THE day! Mark your calendar for tomorrow, Monday, at 11:30 a.m. Arizona time. We’re launching a brand-new video podcast, and I know you’re gonna love it. Be there to celebrate the very first episode with us! Subscribe to my channel (it’s free!) so you’re the first to see the show. Thank you! — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE 🤖 Your free personal assistant 🔊 Would you pay for Alexa? 🛒 Bestsellers on sale |
TODAY'S TOP STORY AI is for everyone: Prompts to help you with work, life, school and love "Oh, AI, how have I used you? Let me count the ways." Here’s just a sampling: To explain in plain English what a friend’s cardiology report said To write up replies for emails when it’s gonna be a long one To show me what a client changed in an advertising contract To come up with social media posts To tell me companies that might want to sponsor this newsletter To get recipes To tell me why Fox News’ new website strategy is asking everyone for their email address to read a story (Spoiler: To sell you something later!) If you can use Google, you can use AI. And if you’re already using AI, I bet you’ll learn a thing or two. Let’s do this! First things first If you’re not sure how to even access AI tools, I have your back: ChatGPT: Use it on the web or download it for iPhone or Android. You’ll need to create an account. The free tier works for most people, or pay $20 a month for the latest version, priority access, and additional tools like creating graphics and uploading files. Google Bard: Use it on the web free with a Google account. Microsoft Copilot: Use it on Chrome or Edge at Copilot.Microsoft.com. You’ll need an active Microsoft account. Perplexity: Free access online here. There’s a $20-per-month Pro plan if you want to be able to upload images and get access to smart AI. 'So, what can I do with AI?' Glad you asked. If you can think of it, AI can probably do it. Here are some ways to get you started. Data whisperer: Data can be a mountain of gibberish, but AI climbs it with ease. Imagine AI analyzing your side hustle’s sales figures and revealing hidden patterns. Maybe your bestselling product needs a bigger online presence — or start a targeted ad campaign for hand warmers to folks in “daMN cold” Minnesota. Try it: “Analyze this data to find any patterns I should know about.” The more detail, the better. Just be sure you’re not disclosing anything confidential.Content-creation concierge: Struggling to write website copy? AI can craft compelling copy, thorough product descriptions and witty social media posts. It can even turn your blog post into bite-sized social media posts! Try it: “Here are the specs for my product. Please write a description I can use to sell it on Amazon following current best practices.”Help sell your services: Not everyone is a wordsmith, and it takes a lot of time and effort to figure out what to put on professional pages. Trade workers, this one is great for you. Try it: “I’m a plumber in Phoenix, Arizona. Please help me write about my company and what I offer for my Yelp page.”Find a date: Most people stare blankly at that dating profile screen. It’s hard to talk about ourselves! Instead of sounding too serious, over the top or self-deprecating, see what AI comes up with. Try it: “I need to create a dating profile. Can you ask me some questions to figure out what it should say about me and what I’m looking for?”Make sense of a busy week: When there’s a lot on your plate, even organizing it all can be overwhelming. You can use AI as a free assistant to make things easier for you. Try it: “This week, I have to work 8 to 5 every day, take the kids to soccer practice on Tuesday at 5:30 and find time to run three times because I’m training for a 5K. Can you help me create a schedule I can stick to?”🪄 You know I have even more ideas up my sleeve! Get them here on my site. |
WEB WATERCOOLER 👞 Don’t step on my shoes: Over 35 million customers of VF Corp. (parent company of Vans, The North Face and Jansport) got hacked in December. A major ransomware attack stole company and personal data. Silver lining: No bank info was grabbed. But if you ordered from these companies, watch out for phishing scams. Make your mark: Android users, check out the new "Circle to Search" feature. You can circle, highlight or tap anything on your phone and quickly Google it. Curious about something you see on YouTube? Circle it with your finger and boom — you get Google results. Cool! Sorry, iPhone friends, but it’s not for us yet. 🔊 Smarts is gonna cost us: Even with 75 million users, Alexa isn't making money. (What’s up with that?!) Amazon’s solution? Alexa Plus, packed with AI for a TBD monthly fee. Expect it this summer. Oh, and Samsung will start charging for Galaxy AI features in 2025. Even the bots want a monthly fee now. A donkey’s pronouns are hee/haw: Apple’s added a feature with iOS 17 that lets you assign they/them pronouns to your contacts. People online have lots to say, like, "Steve Jobs would die again if he saw this," and "Is there an option to just call everyone ‘guuuuuurl’ by default?" 📚 Microsoft’s free AI-powered reading tutor: Microsoft Reading Coach is an AI tool that figures out which words kids struggle to read. After that, it creates a personalized learning plan to target these specific areas. Check it out here. Move over, Tom Cruise: June Squibb, 94 years young, is channeling “Mission: Impossible” moves in “Thelma.” The film is about a grandma who gets revenge after losing $10,000 in a phone scam. Squibb, who plays the title role, did her own stunts for the movie, like hijacking an electric scooter and crashing it inside a retirement home. Love her. |
LISTEN UP | | How to read a privacy policy, fast Reading the top 96 websites' privacy policies would eat up 47 hours of your life. Let's get you those hours back with some speedy deciphering tips. Play Now • 3:09 ▶ |
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TECH LIFE UPGRADES 👀 Stop squinting: On an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Next, tap Larger Text and enable Larger Accessibility Sizes. A slider at the bottom lets you increase or decrease your text size. On Android, go to Settings > Accessibility > Text and display > Select font size. Adjust the slider to pick your perfect font size. TikTok shortcuts: To skip to the next video, swipe up on your screen. To go back to the previous video, swipe down. 🎶 Upgrade your earbuds and save $60: The second-gen Apple AirPods Pro are $60 off right now on Amazon. They come with a MagSafe charging case and a USB‑C option — no more looking for an Apple Lightning cord. This is a pretty sweet deal, so scoop it up now before it’s over. |
MY TRUSTED ADVICE Every week on my show, I talk with interesting folks and those who could use a little help with something tech. Catch our convos this weekend on a station near you or as a podcast. Debby is smart. She’s an Air Force vet who worked at the Pentagon, and she’s a former banker. But she fell for a romance scam and lost $1 million. Joyce in Des Moines, Iowa, is dealing with more than just a squatter on her farm; she says the intruder is breaking into her home, planting spy gear, and even hacking her phone and laptop. Joseph Cox from 404 Media joins us again to talk about Fusus — AI cams used by thousands of police departments around the country. They can scan for license plates, certain clothes and more. Plus, Fred wants an app to talk with his late wife, Stephen looks for hidden cam detector recs, George needs a watch to monitor glucose levels, Phil seeks remote work opportunities and much more! |
WHAT THE TECH? The answer is 10.
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UNTIL NEXT TIME ... 🥶 Speaking of … John Travolta was terribly sick and went to the hospital. Doctors thought he had COVID‑19, but it turned out to be only Saturday night fever. They assure everyone he’s staying alive. Apparently, he told them, “I got chills, they’re multiplying.” (You just sang that, didn’t you?) 🙏🏻 I’m honored you let me in your inbox every day. Thank you for that. I hope you have a fabulous Sunday. Now, spread the love, and share this email with a friend who wants (or needs) to be as tech-smart as you. Let’s make the whole world tech-smart! — Kim |
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