In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is GPS Tracking More Than Just Your Location?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Apple Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: OpenAI Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Alternate Hobbies
📦 Featured Product: LEGO Art

📝 Is GPS Tracking More Than Just Your Location?

I think it’s safe to assume everyone with a smart phone is aware of GPS. The Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware in your phone tells other apps where you are physically located on the planet by way of communicating with (3 or more) satellites. Depending on the building you are physically in, the accuracy could change, though. The type of roof, multiple floors, and size of the building all play into this - similar to how your phone’s cell signal degrades, too. However, the GPS software can utilize other connection types (e.g., cell signal, Bluetooth, WiFi) to guesstimate where you are, especially indoors.

But GPS isn’t just used for telling you where you are. Obviously it helps you with mapping your way from one location to another, but the power from GPS comes from the millions of other devices also using GPS. Your phone is part of one of the largest data collection sorts available, and millions of others can benefit from it. I’ve mentioned multiple times in these newsletters about the gray area between security and convenience. We give up some level of security when using GPS apps in lieu of the convenience it provides us.

So what other conveniences do we receive from our GPS?

Specifically with mapping, traffic is one of the largest pieces and biggest audience for GPS. We are able to see which routes will take longer based on the number of people currently on the same route. However, it’s also a bit deeper than that. Every time someone enters their destination, the maps now know where everyone else is going, thereby helping with future traffic conditions. That’s how these apps are able to predict how long it will take you to get from point A to point B, even if it’s a longer drive. They can also infer accidents, road closures, trains, simple congestion, and more.

When traffic apps share information with other apps on your devices, the power can be compounded to help businesses and individuals alike. For example, GPS helps with restaurants, sports venues, and overall shopping by popularity. By knowing how many people (devices) are heading that way, already inside the building, and an average of how long customers stay, wait times can be determined for restaurants.

For sports venues, GPS helps predict crowd movement like where do people go at half time for a football game? As people begin to leave (even if they leave early), ride share apps like Uber and Lyft can begin preparing drivers.

Even theme parks can benefit from GPS use by the same metrics. Understanding where people are and where they’re going can help with estimating ride wait times. However, it can also benefit the parks for helping with staff management. Historic data shows how any of this can help customers and businesses, too. Map apps know when traffic peaks are, and these businesses can estimate when most of their customers will be coming in (and leaving).

However, there is a potential downside to this. Around 2020, a local artist - Simon Weckert, filled a wagon with 100 phones and opened Google Maps. He then walked around Berlin causing multiple roads to show red lines indicating high traffic locations. Except, Google Maps only did this because there were so many devices moving slowly where they normally wouldn’t. Check out his story on YouTube to see more.

Where the convenience and security play a role again is with accuracy. These apps are almost scary in how well they can predict what will happen. And the more and more devices using the GPS only make the predictions that more accurate. More users give the apps more data, and the more data they have, the more accurate the results will be. This can also be a negative feature, too.

But don’t think you have to turn GPS off just yet.

First off, most of the data is aggregated and anonymized. These businesses benefiting from knowing who, when, and where people are going is not tied to a specific user. Second, while GPS does typically use more battery when in use, that is typically only when it’s the active app. Meaning, if you have your maps app open on your device’s screen, it will start eating away at your battery. But if you only have the app open in the background the battery usage is minimized. Also, if you give the app permission to track you all the time, regardless if the app is even open, and depending on the exact settings, it may ping your device a couple of times an hour or every few hours.

You are benefiting from others more than they are benefitting from you. The power of what GPS offers outside of just knowing your current exact position is only escalated by the numbers of users also using it. So remember, the next time your map reroutes you around traffic, it’s not just guiding you, it’s learning from everyone around you.

🗞️ ICYMI: Apple Updates

Just a friendly reminder: I don’t like to write about or share rumors about tech. They change too much, and I don’t like to get caught up in keeping up with who said what - I would rather wait to report on what IS coming. That said, multiple reputable outlets are reporting on a new feature coming in iOS 27, their plan to Let Users Swap Models Across Apple Intelligence. This is pretty interesting because Apple Reached a $250 Million Settlement Over Claims It Misled People on A.I. Essentially, since they haven’t lived up to their AI promise, customers of the 15 Pro and 16 versions of the iPhone purchased between June 2024 and March 2025 may claim between $25-95. Since, they’ve made deals with and/or invested in multiple AI companies, including: Google, OpenAI, Anthropic. My take: give it a few years for Apple to see how and what AI customers are using before they finalize their own mainstream version.

🗞️ ICYMI: OpenAI Updates

There’s been a lot happening in AI lately, and the small updates are combining to make larger changes. It seems like users switch back and forth between models frequently, and OpenAI’s stock (not stock price…) looks to be back up. An update to ChatGPT, GPT-5.5 Instant, is stated to be smarter, clearer, and more personalized. They also launched a new realtime voice and translation AI models to rival Eleven Labs. Lastly, reports show they are Fast-Tracking an AI Phone for 2027 Launch.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• AI finds signs of pancreatic cancer before tumors develop

• Ask dot com just quietly shut down after almost 30 years in operation

• Disney Sees Linear TV Channels as ‘Brands With Studios’

• GameStop Proposes to Acquire eBay at $125.00 Per Share

• Google unveils screenless Fitbit Air and Google Health app to replace Fitbit

😎 POTW: Alternate Hobbies

Looking to be inspired or find your new time waster? If you’re already into LEGO, check out the product blurb below. Otherwise, consider some of these possibly new to you hobbies:

• A Beginner’s Guide to Birding

• Eating every snack in the world!

• Eight master craftspeople keeping our treasures alive

• I won the world’s deepest underground marathon

• Smaller Than a Fingernail: Unboxing the World’s Tiniest Books

• War & Pieces: The race to become the world’s fastest jigsaw puzzler

📦 Featured Product

In case you didn’t know, LEGO offers popular art pieces in the form of LEGO. They are generally small in size (around 2 ft max in either direction) but are still just as much as an art piece to show after building them. Some are generic like the Japanese Cherry Blossom Landscape or The Milky Way Galaxy, but some are pieces by famous artist, including:

• Claude Monet’s Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies

• Hokusai’s The Great Wave

• Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa

• Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Sunflowers

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: What Apps Do You Actually Use Every Day?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: App Updates
😎 Pick of the Week: Adulting is Hard (and fun)
📦 Featured Product: Things You Should Have in Your Car

📝 What Apps Do You Actually Use Every Day?

After boring some of you with some Note Taking and Weather apps, I figured I would be a bit more personal in the app space. In this post, I’ve shared apps I either use on a normal and daily basis, or some one-off apps you may have not heard of that usually have a very unique and niche experience. Some that may be missing also play into some Browser Extensions You (may) Need.

For daily use, I’m constantly adding things to Apple Reminders. ChatGPT has all but replaced “Googling” for me, and my phone’s action button auto-starts an audio conversation. I have an use both, Apple Maps and Google Maps. Make sure you download maps for offline use!

Bitwarden is my password manager of choice. And if you don’t use one, you should read Why You Need a Password Manager.

As mentioned in Are You Using the Wrong Weather App?, Carrot is my main weather app for the widget and app screen modification.

Note taking is a bit more in depth, so here’s a quick summary of the post - Are You Using the Wrong System to Organize Your Life?

• UpNote (quick access and easily available on all platforms)

• Apple Notes (family and group sharing)

• Notion (personal projects - including this newsletter)

• OneNote (stores important and long-term items in my Johnny Decimal System)

OneNote isn’t the only Microsoft product (as you can imagine if you’ve known me long enough. Instead of Chrome, I use Edge. The Bing app helps with searches, matching items, barcodes, etc, and helps earn rewards points. And any app is probably better than Apple’s built in Mail app, but yes, I use and enjoy Outlook.

Living in south Louisiana, food is kind of a big deal. Anytime we are going to a restaurant, I try to first grab a reservation through Open Table or Resy. For fast food options, having the app always helps with points, discounts, or even free items!

• Cheba Hut

• Chick-fil-A

• Dominos (what would this list look like without my favorite go to pizza?)

• Jersey Mikes

• Jimmy Johns

• McDonalds

• Taco Bell

• Smoothie King

• Sonic

Next up is games! Which, I don’t really play a lot of games or play games a lot on my phone. However, when I do, it’s probably one of these:

• Chess.com

• Match Collector

• Pixel Pro Golf

• Phase 10

To wrap up, here’s an exhaustive list of some one-off apps you may have never heard of, or a friendly reminder to actually use them!

• Eleven Reader - turn any text into a audio book

• Filament - an in-depth Bible study app

• Flighty - powerful flight tracking app

• Google Opinion Rewards - get rewarded monetarily for sharing your opinion

• iExit - see what’s located on the next exit(s) while traveling

• Just Watch - find out where to watch that movie or show

• Kindle/Hoopla/Libby - read a book!

• My Lightning Tracker - does one job really well - shows where/when lightening strikes happen; helpful for sports, hobbies, etc

• Merlin Bird ID - Shazam for birds!

• Paprika - my favorite recipe app

• Picsew - stitch your screen shots together

• Google Play Books - the only place to get my audio book

• My Pollen Forecast - track pollen count and other allergens

• Recapp Sports Highlight - shared as a POTW

• Route - track all of your packages

• RunPee - put simply, know when to run and pee during a movie.

• The Pour Over - one of my favorite news newsletters has an app now

• USPS Informed Delivery

What are some of your favorite or niche apps?

🗞️ ICYMI: AI Updates

While many businesses are trying to figure out how to implement AI, Google looks to invest as much as $40 billion in Anthropic. This continues to help Google invest in their partnership, and has probably had an impact on Anthropic surging to a trillion-dollar valuation on secondary markets, overtaking OpenAI. Google is still updating their AI bot, Gemini, which can now generate Google Docs, PDF, Word, and other files. What’s becoming more tricky for businesses is the cost of AI. While they can do more and more things, a new study has shown that AI can now cost more than human workers.

🗞️ ICYMI: App Updates

Your may be able to easily pay less for your app subscriptions as Epic Games Wins Reversal of Stay in App Store Fee Legal Battle. In the past, Apple had removed apps that stated something to the effect of, “A monthly/yearly subscription is cheaper on our website!” because the developer didn’t have to give Apple 30% of the fee. Pros and cons here, so not diving too deep. Essentially, developers may be able to soon add that language back, along with having the In-App-Purchase (IAP) not have an inflated fee.

Remember Vine? The 6-second video app is (sort of) back. Check out The Story Behind Divine and download it on the App Store or the Google Play Store. The app has some archived historical videos, and is “striving to be free of AI-generated content.”

If you’re always scrolling Instagram while trying to decide what to watch next, Netflix’s TikTok-like vertical feed is finally here. This will let you browse clips of movies and TV shows and add to your list within the app. Keep an eye out for updates as the feature is slowing rolling out.

Lastly, in the gaming space, Microsoft rolls out Xbox Mode, bringing a console-like experience to any PC. This app “aggregates Game Pass and third‑party stores (Steam, EA, Ubisoft) with controller‑friendly navigation.” Many reviewers state this makes handheld and couch-gaming a much smoother experience.

😎 POTW: Adulting is Hard (and fun)

Bookmark FreeTaxUSA: Affordable Filing for All Situations for next tax season unless you already saved enough money and are looking for The World’s Most Expensive Experiences.

Make sure to save The Soundtrack of a Gentlemen’s Trip for when you’re trying to find the best price of a pint of Guinness across Ireland with The Guinndex.

While you’re still trying to find some of the Top Remote Work Destinations, check out What Live/Work Spaces Have Looked Like Through the Ages.

What Exercises Burn the Most Calories and what is The best sleep position for when you’ve had enough?

📦 Featured Product

This week’s product pick is a mix of a Pick of the Week and some products. Dad Day shared a post on The 5 Things Every Dad Should Have in His Car at All Times. But these are things anyone can and should have. They include:

1. The NOCO Boost Portable Jump Starter if you have an ICE vehicle

2. The Fanttik Portable Tire Inflator (the only I have isn’t available)

3. A Medic MyFAK First Aid Kit

4. The Leatherman Wave+ A Multi-Tool

5. A Thrive Roadside Emergency Car Kit with jumper cables (especially if you don’t have a portable jump starter)

There are other (and less expensive) options for every item, but all of these have extremely great reviews. Safety is one thing that I don’t suggest skimping on too much unless you’ve extensively tested the item in question. The only other thing I’d add to that list is an Emergency Escape Tool, Window Breaker and Seatbelt Cutter.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Do You Still Need to Take Notes in Meetings?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI Reshaping the Future
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Ecosystem Shift and the Future Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Unique Travel Picks
📦 Featured Product: Plaud Note

📝 Do You Still Need to Take Notes in Meetings?

Last week I talked about organizing your life (including your notes). But what if you don’t like to (or can’t) take notes in every meeting or for every conversation you have? Surely there’s an app or AI bot that can do this for me, right? Put simply - yes! There are plenty! Many of them have time limits or a subscription fee associated with them, but they all do similar things with unique features.

Before we talk about specifics, ask yourself a few questions. Do you never look at your notes after a meeting? Do you forget what you just agreed to? Do you not know what the action items are for the group? Do you still want to take notes? Will you have your computer with you, or just a phone? What if there were an app that allowed you to never have to take notes again?

There are plenty of apps that do this and a lot more. A few things they can do include: record conversations, transcription, summarize key points with action items and follow-ups, and potentially make everything searchable. Many can do this within your calling app of choice (Teams, Zoom, Meet, etc) by joining as a silent participant, or simply by uploading an audio file. Not all are equal though, and some even have other unique features.

This is not an exhaustive list but does include many of the major players in this space. They include:

• Avoma

• Bubbles

• Descript

• Fathom

• Granola

• Laxis

• Mem

• Noota

• Otter

• Rewind

When using these apps, it’s important to understand that there should be a potential shift in the way you now attend meetings. Meaning… if there is an AI bot (software in this case) to help capture all the notes, that means you can now stay present in the conversation. Rather than putting your cognitive workload towards capturing everything, your focus and attention can be on the other people in the meeting. You are now able to think and respond in real time, rather than be delayed due to capturing notes.

There are, however, a few potential downsides. For example, rather than spending time responding and being actively engages, some may accidently wonder off. This passive consumption may also lead to less retention of important information since writing reinforces memory. As these tools are used more and more, our reliance on them may bring a fals sense of understanding. Lastly, AI can’t “read the room” as far as human behavior is concerned and may miss something everyone else sees.

So where’s the sweet spot here? Wel, potentially you should still take notes, but only the absolute necessary action items or things that should not be missed. It would also be beneficial to immediately review any AI summary and compare what is/isn’t listed. As you edit and make notes, this may help with any lost retention.

Other tradeoffs here may be based on the tool of choice. For example, some of these tools have an “AI bot” that joins your meeting and may cause others on the call to feel awkward. People may also not say something simply because there’s a note taking bot on the call and they may want something off the record or just simply not captured. These tools are also a bit overkill for quick notes and may be less useful outside of scheduled meetings.

While the technology and ability of these tools allows us to be more present while also capturing things we may have originally missed, the difference between recording information and building knowledge still exists. On the other hand, if you’re taking notes and not acting on them or making them part of your larger knowledge data base, what good are they?

What note taking tools are you using?

🗞️ ICYMI: AI Reshaping the Future

OpenAI is still moving forward as they announced GPT-5.5, its latest artificial intelligence model and introduced ChatGPT for Clinicians, a free version of ChatGPT designed for clinical work. However, there is caution or concerns with the escalated updates in this space. The White House accused China of ‘industrial-scale’ theft of AI technology.

As the LLMs are improving, we’re also beginning to see how this affects the professional landscape. Microsoft Offers Its First Ever Buyouts to Shape Workforce Around AI Push. They’re not the only company looking to go lean, either. Meta is planning to cut 8,000 jobs as it charges into AI. In what seems to be the dystopian future coming into play, they also Put Keystroke Loggers on Employee Computers. Meta claims this is to help train their AI models, but with the announcement to minimize the workforce, employees are pushing back.

🗞️ ICYMI: Ecosystem Shift and the Future Headlines

• 23 Major News Sites Have Blocked the Wayback Machine

• Apple chooses Amazon satellites for iPhone, years after rejecting Starlink offer

• Instagram ‘Instants’ app launches, and it’s basically Snapchat

• SpaceX Strikes Deal With Cursor for $60 Billion

• Ticketmaster is an illegal monopoly, jury finds

• Who Is John Ternus? Meet the Incoming Apple CEO Set to Succeed Tim Cook

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Update

😎 POTW: Unique Travel Picks

How about some unique travel picks from the city of New York to the National Parks across the US and famous places across the globe.

• 8 of the Best American Cities for Hikers

• 10 New York Stories That Capture the Big Apple

• From Castles in Romania to Glaciers in Iceland: 100 Travel Hotspots Made Famous by Film and TV

• Polarsteps Travel App

• The Bucket List of Remote Places to Kayak

• Visiting a U.S. national park—for the retro architecture

📦 Featured Product

If you don’t like to take physical notes or don’t want to use your phone or computer as a recording device, perhaps a separate physical device designed just to do that would help? Two devices that use the same ecosystem and apps include the Plaud Note Pro and the Plaud NotePin. The Note Pro is more of a credit card sized device meant to be used intentionally and records better in larger rooms and meeting spaces. It has a longer battery life and more microphones to capture more audio. The Plaud NotePin is more of a wearable meant to be easily accessible at all times. Both devices transcribe meetings or conversations and generate summaries that you can interact with through an LLM-style chat interface.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are You Using the Wrong System to Organize Your Life?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI in the Workplace
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: YouTube and YouTube TV Price Changes
😎 Pick of the Week: Size of Life
📦 Featured Product: Portable Handheld Fan

📝 Are You Using the Wrong System to Organize Your Life?

Let’s face it. I’ve made a few posts in the past about note-taking and the apps that help keep you (and me) organized. Just to share a few in case you’re curious and/or need a refresher:

• You Need a Second Brain

• The Importance of Crafting Simple Standard Operating Procedures

• How Do You Actually Organize Your Life?

• Is There a Perfect Tool for Capturing Your Thoughts?

• Are We Getting Smarter, Dumber, or Just Storing Less?

After sharing a few weather apps in the last newsletter, I wanted to share the note-taking apps I use on a daily/weekly basis. Emphasis on appS. Included in this is a new notetaking app I’ve started using more recently, along with a whole notetaking system that mirrors how I started managing my files, too! This system is referred to as the Johnny Decimal System, as it was inspired somewhat by the Dewey Decimal system. All my Gen X’ers in the crowd just squealed, didn’t you?

The premise of the Johnny Decimal System compared to others is the common montra - Everything has a place, and there’s a place for everything. You can browse his site, as well as watch a YouTube video or two about it. But I think I have a quick and easy way to explain it, and its use.

Imagine having 10 filing cabinets. But instead of each one having 3 drawers, let’s give each one 10 drawers. Each filing cabinet represents an Area of your life. For example, Areas could include: Family, Personal, Work, and Hobbies. Each drawer within each area represents a Category. Within the Family Area, Categories could include: Home, Finances, Vehicles, and Vacations. The 10 areas are numbered by 10s. For example: 10 Family, 20 Personal, 30 Work, and 40 Hobbies. Within the Areas, the Categories are numbered by the single digit within the Area. For example, under Family, I would have: 11 Home, 12 Finances, 13 Vehicles, and 14 Vacations.

Finally, within each Category, there can be up to 99 folders (referred to as IDs) further drilling down into the category. Following the Vacations Category, examples could include 01 New York, 02 Cruises, and 03 Disney World. Notice not each category has to follow the same ‘structure’ as you create the system and folder structure of these IDs. Each ID’s folder also has the prefix of the Area and Category with a period separating the two. In this case, Vacations (14) - further specificed into New York (07) would be notated as “14.07”.

The premise is - you know where everything lives and the system makes sense to you. You want to be able to quickly find or locate what you’re looking for. Except there’s another kicker… This system can be used in your email, your file app(s) of choice, and your notetaking app(s) of choice. Meaning, whatever you’re looking for, and wherever you’re looking for it, you know exactly what to search or dive into. For example, if I’m trying to find that one pizza place to go to in New York, I can search my email, OneDrive/Google Drive folders, or notetaking app(s), for “14.07” and find what I’m looking for pretty quickly (Lombardi’s by the way).

This actually works incredibly well in practice, after spending a good bit of time setting it up. And before you ask, yes you can change your numbering structure, and probably will a few times until you get things setup just right. The structure is the most important part. Recently, I took a flight with an airline I haven’t flown on in a while. Since flying with them, I signed up for TSA Precheck. When checking in, I needed my Known Traveler Number. After not finding it quickly in my email, I was able to find it in my notetaking app within 10 seconds following the “10 Family > 14 Vacations > 14.01 Travel Info” structure I setup.

So, what notetaking apps do I use? Essentially, I use 4. And I know that sounds like a lot, but they each have a role and it makes sense for me.

For starters, I use OneNote to store my Johnny Decimal notetaking system’s notes. It’s stood the test of time with Microsoft, I have premium access through my Microsoft 365 account, it’s essentially available on any device, and it’s easy enough to use while providing more than a normal notetaking app. With the way Notebooks, Sections, and Notes work, it’s very friendly to the Johnny Decimal System, too.

Next, I use Apple Notes for things I share with family and friends. It’s extremely straightforward and the sharing is the easiest there is (especially when sharing with other Apple Devices). There is also a lot that Apple Notes can do if you really wanted to get crazy.

Only to keep things separate for my personal sanity, I use Notion strictly for my Weekly Wheaties newsletter and other personal projects. This just helps me keep things separated and have my own structure here without interferring with other personal notes.

Lastly, the most recent notetaking app I’ve started using is UpNote. I love its simplicity, but more importantly, how quick it is. This app opens, edits, and closes extremely fast. That makes it perfect for what I use it for — capturing quick notes anywhere and everywhere. This app is my digital version of post-it notes before they are moved to my Johnny Decimal System, deleted, or something else. It works on iPhone, Android, Mac, or PC. In theory, this app could also store my entire system instead of OneNote, I just haven’t decided if I wanted to make that leap yet. This app also offers a lifetime subscription for $40 that is absolutely worth it.

I’ll end with an honorable mention to Evernote. I paid for it and used pretty intensely for a few years. But after a few price increases, I just can suggest it anymore and have moved all of my notes to OneNote or UpNote now. Evernote is a bit more in depth than OneNote is, so it’s a great alternative if you do not like OneNote. I will share the one feature Evernote does incredibly well that no other notes app I’ve found can emulate — global todos. Meaning, Evernote creates one master “Todo” list showing every todo from every note in your entire library of notes. It’s pretty amazing.

Regardless of the software or app you decide to use, the important part is having some sort of system to track your notes. You can use one app or four, but if everything has a place and you know where to look, you’ll always be able to find what you need.

So ask yourself: if you needed to find something important in the next 10 seconds, would you know exactly where to look?

🗞️ ICYMI: AI in the Workplace

Stanford University recently released their 2026 AI Index Report with some unique takeaways. While AI is drastically improving at higher education levels, it’s still missing some of the humanistic side of things and can be unpredictable in some areas. There is also a mismatch in public perception with experts in the AI field. College students are starting to wonder themselves what the future looks like and are struggling to choose a major. An increasing number of students have either thought about switching majors (47%) or have already changed their field of study (16%).

The private sector even has disagreements on AI and the future for college students. While the CEO of Plantir says AI ‘will destroy’ humanities jobs, companies like BlackRock and McKinsey are ‘recruiting graduates who studied “things that have nothing to do with finance or technology” … “as potential sources of creativity,” to break out of AI’s linear problem-solving.”’

🗞️ ICYMI: YouTube and YouTube TV Price Changes

Just to be clear, YouTube (accessed via YouTube.com) is a website that allows users (even you) to upload videos for anyone to watch. There are some TV shows and movies on YouTube, but that’s not the focus. YouTube offers a paid service called YouTube Premium that provides ad free access to YouTube.com, allows background playback and offline viewing, but also includes ad-free music. Meaning, this is Google’s counterpart to Spotify, Amazon, or Apple Music. They offer an individual, student, or family plan, but all three a getting a price increase in June.

YouTube TV (accessed via TV.YouTube.com) is a service to help cut the cord of traditional cable and give access to local and major TV networks over the internet. Their plan has gradually added more channels (and a higher monthly price) since their inception. However, they have recently modified their lineup. Visit PC World to see YouTube TV’s hidden ‘genre’ plans: What they are and how to find them.

😎 POTW: Size of Life

With the Artemis II making its journey around the moon, perhaps you enjoyed some of the pictures from NASA. Similarly, the Neal.Fun website posted a page called the Size of Life that has a cool selection of animals and other living things to compare the size with. When finished, check out some of the other fun tools and games on his site, like Constellation Draw.

📦 Featured Product

Recently, Dyson released their HushJet Mini Cool handheld fan. It’s received mixed feedback on the quality and loudness of the fan. However, one thing that has rung true through the many reviews and comments I’ve read - there appears to be a cheaper and better alternative. JISULIFE offers many versions, but the one most can agree on is the Pro1S Portable Fan. An even less expensive one with great reviews is the Aecooly Portable Handheld Fan. Grab one before the summer kicks off if you’re in the market!

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are You Using the Wrong Weather App?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Google Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Microsoft Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Color in Fashion
📦 Featured Product: Weather Stations

📝 Are You Using the Wrong Weather App?

Some of you have been using the same phone operating system for years. And some of you have even been using the same weather app(s) for just as long. I mean, the weather changes constantly, but how would tracking the weather actually change? Or how often should you even change weather apps?

Depending on our need, we may want to see or track temperature, wind, rain, snow, and even extreme events (fire, hurricane, etc.) as they arise. For starters, there are thousands of devices not only across the US, but the globe that help gather these measurements. These include satellites, weather stations (including many personal ones), buoys in the ocean, and weather balloons (that launch twice a day from all over). All of the data is crunched by supercomputers then available for apps to update. You can read more in depth here from NPR on Where does your weather forecast come from.

A problem with many of the weather apps, is they must choose a specific provider of sorts to determine what weather data to show (some do let you choose, though). Popular sources you may have heard of include: NOAA, The National Weather Service, Foreca, AccuWeather, OpenWeather, and many more. For some levity here, a survey found that The Weather Channel is America’s most trusted news source.

A potential next problem is some of these sources may be more accurate in one location than another simply because of either the number or quality of sources in that area. You’ve seen this in practice when your phone shows a 20% chance of rain and your friend’s show a 60%. This can simply be due to demographics and location (where you live versus where the weather stations your apps are pulling from are located).

The next problem is around funding. While some weather sources are free to access for users by way of grants through the Federal Government, others are private (for-profit) and will have either ad-supported options or are only available through a purchase or subscription. Before going too far, here’s a friendly reminder that NOAA and Weather.gov are currently two of those free services. Not to mention, the apps you’re using have to pay their developers and designers for updates to the app as required - even for typical app maintenance.

This leaves us asking ourselves a few questions. Do you want your app to be the most accurate? Do you want the most data available? The cleanest, and more modern of a look? Maybe some type of utility? Do widgets and notifications matter? Also, I know we’re talking specifically mobile apps, but it’s also known that Americans use digital assistants mainly for weather, music, and timers. So, do you want your app to talk to your digital assistants? Sometimes, having multiple apps working in tandem together may be required to get all of the specific information you’d want.

Here’s an exhaustive list of Weather apps you may want to check out:

• Acme Weather - from the developers of Dark Sky (an app bought out by Apple with a cult-like following)

• Carrot Weather - sarcasm mixed with surprisingly powerful data

  • Bonus pick here… I subscribe to this app for two reasons: awesome widgets and a customized home screen (add, remove, or reorder any weather widget within the app to see only what you want)

• Clime - detailed radar and alerts for serious weather

• EverythingWeather

• Flowx - swipe through time to see how weather changes

• Mercury Weather - simple, fast, no clutter

• MyRadar - quick, no-frills radar

• NOAA - straight from the official source (desktop friendly)

• NoAdsWeather - no ads, all data (desktop only)

• (Not Boring) Weather - weather as an interactive experience, not just a forecast

• Sun Seeker - tracks the sun’s path for planning and light

• Ventusky - beautiful maps that show weather in motion (desktop friendly)

• WeatherGraph - forecasts as clean, data-driven charts

• Weather Fit - tells you what to wear based on the weather

• Weather.gov - reliable forecasts, old-school interface (desktop friendly)

• What the Forecast - brutally honest (and hilarious) forecasts

• Windy.com - deep, layered weather data for power users (desktop friendly)

To end with a bit of fun while still learning, check out this video where Mark Rober shares how Hot Air Balloons work with the wind speeds at various heights on his YouTube Channel.

What weather apps are you using?

🗞️ ICYMI: Google Updates

Google’s at it again! Following their Google AI Edge Gallery AI app (available on both Android and iOS) that I keep trying to get people to download, they have now launched an AI dictation app that works offline. This means you can record audio and convert it to text just using the power of your phone - for free!

There was also an update to the Google Chrome Browser that provides updates for new vertical tabs and immersive reading mode. Other browsers have had vertical tabs for a while, but it’s interesting to see Google’s take on it. The debate between horizontal and vertical tabs is just as big among nerds as is the Android and iOS debate.

🗞️ ICYMI: Microsoft Updates

Microsoft has been silently making some updates in the AI space, too. LLMs work well when text is formatted properly. A common format used is called Markdown. This is simply a text-only way to format text using symbols (typically, #, *, or -). In order to make your Copilot experience better, Microsoft built a tool that converts literally anything into clean markdown. This includes Word Docs, PDFs, PPTs, and even Excel documents.

They also built Microsoft 365 connectors for Claude to help connect Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint to bring your email, docs, and files into the conversation. Lastly, with the new MacBook talk, a popular YouTuber made a video about the MacBook Air M5 vs Dell XPS 14, arguing if they may be closer than you think.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Blind marathon runner to be guided by smart glasses

• OpenAI challenges Anthropic with ChatGPT Pro subscription tier

• OpenAI’s vision for the AI economy: public wealth funds, robot taxes, and a four-day workweek

• Starting in May, pre-2013 Kindles won’t be able to buy or download new books

• Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto? A Quest to Unmask Bitcoin’s Creator

😎 POTW: Color in Fashion

After sharing some fashion picks in Weekly Wheaties #2614, my wife shared with me how she used ChatGPT to help with personal color and clothing styles. After we discussed it a bit in depth, I wanted to share a prompt you could use to help! This is loosely based on the House of Colour, and if you’d like an in-person touch, make sure to check them out!

Prompt:

I want you to determine my seasonal color palette (Winter, Summer, Autumn, Spring, including sub-seasons like Dark Winter, Soft Autumn, etc.) and recommend clothing colors and style direction.

Please analyze based on undertone (warm vs cool), value (light vs dark), contrast, and chroma (bright vs muted).

Here is my information:

Basic Info:

• Age:

• Gender:

• Height:

• Weight:

• Build (e.g., slim, athletic, stocky):

Coloring:

• Skin tone (fair, medium, deep):

• Skin undertone (cool, warm, neutral, unsure):

• Hair color:

• Hair depth (light, medium, dark):

• Eye color:

• Natural Contrast: How much contrast between your skin, hair, and eyes—low, medium, high, or unsure?

Behavioral Clues:

• Do you tan easily or burn?

• Do you look better in silver or gold jewelry?

• Do you look better in black or brown?

• Do you look better in bright white or cream/ivory?

• Are there colors people compliment you in often?

• Are there colors that consistently make you look washed out or tired?

Optional:

• Ethnicity:

• Do you have freckles? (yes/no)

• Eye pattern (solid, mixed, bright, soft):

Style Context:

• Lifestyle (casual, business, athletic, etc.):

• What image do you want to project? (e.g., authoritative, approachable, modern, relaxed):

What I want from you:

• My most likely season and sub-season (with reasoning)

• A backup/alternative season if applicable

• My best colors (specific examples)

• Colors to avoid

• Ideal neutrals

• Example outfit combinations

• Style guidance based on my palette and body type

If anything is unclear, make your best inference and explain your reasoning.

📦 Featured Product

In tandem with this week’s post, are you looking for a home weather station? If so, I have two options that allow much more than your typical temperature and humidity. They are a bit more expensive than other setups you’re probably more familiar with, but these are weather stations, not monitors.

The Ambient Weather Station looks and functions like your traditional weather station. It has moving parts, requires a bit more setup, provides a monitor for inside your home, and also allows the most smart home integrations. Since it uses more traditional methods, it can be more accurate, but requires more occasional maintenance.

The Tempest Weather Station is low friction, low maintenance, and allows viewing throught the app only. It doesn’t include a few measurements that the Ambient does (UV, solar,), but is a more modern setup for casual users. While the Tempest appears to do a better job for more localized modeling, it may also under/over estimate some events.

Both use solar power and connect to Wifi, allowing you to access your home’s weather from anywhere you have an internet connection. Lastly, the Ambient system offers an optional AWN+ subscription for more advanced data views and features, but it is not required.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Where Should We Draw the Line with AI?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Highlights
😎 Pick of the Week: Fashion Picks
📦 Featured Product: Ubiquiti UniFi UNVR

📝 Where Should We Draw the Line with AI?

I think it’s safe to (continue) to say that it feels like AI is taking over all pieces of software we use not only in our workplace, but in our personal apps, too. With the development of the infamous Clawbot that allows anyone anywhere to build their own AI assistant, many companies are trying to build their own before becoming obsolete - or at least lose market share and/or customers.

The more AI tools and integrations we’re seeing popup, the more and more niche they are becoming. A prime example is Grammarly, who has been in the news the last few weeks. After a buyout back in the fall of 2025, Grammarly Rebrands Company as Superhuman. Superhuman started as an AI-enabled email and writing company of sorts themselves, so Grammarly is a great company to team up with.

Soon after the purchase, they launched a new AI assistant with an “expert review” feature. The problem, however, is this feature wasn’t properly vetted, and now a writer is suing Grammarly for turning her and other authors into ‘AI editors’ without consent. Grammarly pulled the tool after backlash, but now there’s this lingering question out there for the courts to decide on.

Where does AI fall on the line between copyright and free speech? Or to steal a term from the sports world - where does NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) fit in? At its core, this isn’t really a question about AI. It’s a question about ownership. Who owns the style, voice, or likeness in a world where machines (or other humans) can replicate them?

I would argue that as a whole, AI just allows a user to exponentially expediate what they have the capability of doing, just not the time or energy. AI is just doing what you would or could do, but exponentially faster. It’s not creating any new capability (arguably). It amplifies existing capability (and creativity) at a speed technology has only recently allowed and available to the masses.

For example: I could read every work written by a given author/writer/etc, and then write a completely new piece of content that could appear written by that person. Even if it was on something they would have never written about - their style, word choice, and more can be mirrored.

On the other hand, AI can do that exact process in less time than it would take for me to write the prompt. And for an example, a prompt may look like: “Pretend you are William Shakespear. Write a completely new play about two people who fall in love, but they are so engrossed in their mobile phone ecosystem of choice, they can’t bear to switch, and ultimately separate. Use the language and style similar to Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.”

As absurd as it is, I hope the point is understood. The same prompt could be made for any new stories in the style of J. K. Rowling or Stephen King. Except, here we start to find the gray area around copyright (or NIL). Anyone of high school age can understand plagiarism, but that isn’t necessarily what we’re talking about. I mean, FanFiction was a thing even before AI was a twinkle in the developer’s eyes. But still, we know where the line is. And I hope we can all agree it doesn’t look good for Grammarly when the app was appearing to have some sort of collaboration with the writer(s) in question even if they had a disclosure statement.

Which, again, leads us to something else in this same thought process. Remember when Meta Launched AI Chatbots for Celebrities like Snoop Dogg, MrBeast, and Tom Brady? No one ever thought they were actually talking to those people, did they? But I bet most people at least assumed the celebrities in question received some sort of payment. Well, at least a few of them helped with the announcement, so… there’s that.

I don’t know what the answer is here. But I do think however the courts choose to rule, something will have to change, and each decision comes with its own nuanced issues. Writers may have to opt in (or out) of letting the LLMs use their data. Writers may choose to pay-wall all of their content to keep LLMs from scraping everything - which isn’t good for the masses and has other issues. Or, maybe writers simply stop writing and find other jobs and sources of income?

Maybe the real question isn’t whether AI can replicate someone, it’s whether or not it should be able to. Or who gets to decide if and where the line is drawn. The technology is already here, the courts are just trying to catch up. So, where do you think the line should be between creativity and inspiration?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Highlights

Chaofan Shou on X.com appeared to be the first to report that Claude code source code has been leaked via a map file in their npm registry and was posted onGithub (amond tons of other sites). It appears the Entire Claude Code CLI source code leaked thanks to an exposed map file. After verifying no sensitive data was exposed, they issued over 8,000 takedown requests across the web.

In their own article, Wikipedia explains how to write articles with large language models. Spoiler, AI is not allowed to write or update articles, only for basic copy edits.

One of the biggest announcements many have been waiting to go live, You can finally change the goofy Gmail address you chose years ago.

Tesla, SpaceX Plan to Build New Chip Factory in Texas.

😎 POTW: Fashion Picks

I’m not big into fashion, but I did enjoy Mrwhosetheboss’s YouTube video where he Tested Nike’s Top Secret Shoe. As someone who created (and wears) their own ‘uniform’ to work everyday, I do aspire to take Steve Harvey’s suggestion one day - the only 5 suits you need. Until then, check out these fashion picks I’ve been saving up.

• 7 Style Tips for Large Men: The Big Man’s Guide to Sharp Dressing

• 31 Days of all the tips and tricks needed to shape up for 2026

• How to Actually Enjoy Wearing a Suit

• This is how to pack a suit in a carry-on (without a wrinkled mess)

• The rules of wearing a double breasted suit: Your complete guide

• The Story Behind the Boldest Season of Golf Style in Forever

• Who is etiquette for?

📦 Featured Product

A while back I made a post on Everything You Need to Know About Home Security Systems. In there, I shared a few camera systems and brands available depending on if you want hardwired, wireless, or a mix. I always suggest hardwired as best you can, but the Network Video Recorders (NVR) are sometimes camera brand specific - meaning you can’t mix and match other cameras. The software is also rough sometimes, too. The Ubiquiti UniFi UNVR will allow connecting other branded cameras, although this is hardwired cameras only. Depending on availability on Amazon, you may have to purchase on the UniFi website. They also offer Android and Apple apps. On the Apple side, this app works on a iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or the Mac. But either way, there app is typically fast to load and has some of the best scrubbing of video I’ve seen.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is Your Ecosystem Making Your Decisions for You?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Apple Business
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Meta Changes
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Other Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Google Picks
📦 Featured Product: MacBook Neo Alternatives

📝 Is Your Ecosystem Making Your Decisions for You?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been diving into the hardware side of computers - specifically CPUs. A common question I alluded to at the end of last week’s post that I get asked often, is “When is the best time to buy?” followed by, “What [computer, tablet, phone] should I buy?” I want to answer those in a bit of a different way than normal.

I will, however, answer both questions with a few blanket statements:

Spend the most amount of money you’re willing to on the most recent version of whatever device you’re buying. Buy it as soon as you have decided to buy something and given yourself permission to spend the money. Then, never look at [those devices] again. Next week there will be something newer, faster, and cheaper.

But my longer answer comes with a bit of a hot take. I think we are venturing off into a culture with less “general” IT folks. It seems like people are less and less willing to fight IT problems, or they haven’t grown up solving IT problems… which leads to a culture purchasing products that they are more familiar with, and they are less likely to switch ecosystems. There are niche software and hardware problem solvers out there, but on the consumer side of things, the easy way out usually wins.

To put it bluntly, it’s easier to stay within one ecosystem as best one can rather than have a mixed matched set of devices. This looks different based on the type of products we’re talking about, but you already know who we’re talking about:

• Computers: Apple, Google, or Microsoft

• Tablets: Apple or Google

• Phones: Apple or Google

• Smart Home: Amazon, Apple, or Google

Technically, I know Microsoft and Amazon offer phones or tablets, but they run on Android (which is owned by Google). There is also an increasingly larger segment of the Smart Home world that runs on the Matter standard, but it’s also not an easy plug and play system in comparison. Just trying to keep it simple for the explanation.

Which begs the next question: would you purchase a device (regardless of ecosystem) if it’s miles above the competition for its given purpose? I’ve mentioned it before, but the Apple TV is that device. If you are a cord cutter and don’t mind spending the money, the Apple TV is by far the best streaming device on the market. Where Apple is lacking is in the Smart Home systems. I would never suggest the Homepod for home automation.

The recently released Macbook Neo shows Apple is starting to go after the baseline computing market. This device comes in at $599 (or $499 with a student discount) and has shown to outperform even pricer PC counterparts. Since they have cornered the high-school aged market with their iPhone, it appears this laptop may keep them grounded to Apple when this cohort moves on to college and the working world. For the same reason many fall into The Subscription Trap, it is so much easier to just stay in the same ecosystem.

At the end of the day, you’re not just choosing a device, you’re choosing between convenience and flexibility.

So when you ask what device to purchase, you really need to ask another question. Are you wanting to stay in the same ecosystem, or are you willing to purchase something outside if it shows to be the best device available? Alternatively, are you willing to give up certain features in lieu of keeping the status quo?

🗞️ ICYMI: Apple Business

With the release and early success of the MacBook Neo a few weeks ago, many are saying Apple is coming after school systems and enterprise alike. It has also been shown to be their most repairable laptop in more than a decade. With the low starting price (and $100 discount for students), this is only the beginning for a possible new era. Coming April 14, Apple is revamping their business portal to provide a new all-in-one platform for businesses of all sizes. This includes updated device management, professional email, file syncing and ads in Apple Maps.

As we await a new Siri on the consumer side, it was reported that Apple Can Create Smaller On-Device AI Models From Google’s Gemini. This will allow iOS 27 to provide a standalone (read: no internet needed) version of Siri alongside the built-in model. I’ve reported on the Google version of this a few times already - Google AI Edge Gallery. In case it’s not coming across via writing, let me be clear — this is nothing short of amazing and a very and big deal!

Apple also released iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 With New Emoji, Playlist Playground, Purchase Sharing. It includes a few updates to music, some new emojis, and family purchase sharing changes (each member can use their own payment method now). Something else that’s hidden in the update is a security patch to protect users from a new DarkSword hacking tool, and something everyone has been waiting for — an updated ‘fix’ to Autocorrect.

🗞️ ICYMI: Meta Changes

AI integration in the Meta suite of apps is not slowing down. It’s also ramping up internally as Meta Executive Will Spearhead Push to Get Employees Using More AI. Mark Zuckerberg is wanting to lead by example and Is Building an AI Agent to Help Him Be CEO. Outlets aren’t sure if it’s due to AI-integration (or a lack of) or not, but their biggest-ever layoffs may start soon. This also comes right after a New Mexico jury orders Meta to pay $375M over alleged child safety failures. They will, of course, appeal. In other news, Meta reverses course, will keep metaverse partially VR after all.

🗞️ ICYMI: Other Tech Headlines

• Make sure you check your phone’s app permissions, because the FBI started buying Americans’ location data again.

• PBS partners with ITVS to launch the PBS Documentaries YouTube Channel. The channel will debut an expansive, diverse collection of documentaries across all forms of nonfiction storytelling.

• The popular travel app Flighty launched the Flighty Airports Meltdown Map on their website to help track major airport disruptions and give you a way to track issues, delays, and more.

• We won’t be getting any AI animated Disney videos as OpenAI Scraps Sora Video Platform Months After Launch.

😎 POTW: Google Picks

With all of the Apple and AI talk this week, Google (and its users) may feel a bit left out. But they are far from falling behind. With many of the new AI ‘third party’ tools being released, Google continues to do Google things and has made their own version of many of those tools - and many times may have even been the first one to do so.

To follow along with many of their updates and see what you may have been missing, check out this article from The Neuron on Google AI Day.

A tool I didn’t see mentioned much that is pretty interesting (at least for businesses) is Pomelli by Google Labs. It helps find colors, pictures and more to help develop marketing campaigns.

I made a post a while back about Mastering the Art of Speaking Google. But I also stumbled across this article that has some great information: Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here’s How to Use It.

Lastly, as much as Google does, they are also known for canceling products - regardless of the following and public outcry. To see some of these, visit the Google Graveyard - Killed by Google.

📦 Featured Product

If you are intrigued by the MacBook Neo, but want to stay in the PC or Google camp, consider these alternatives at a similar and competitive price.

• Asus Chromebook Plus

• ASUS Vivobook

• Dell 14

• HP OmniBook 5 Flip

• Lenovo IdeaPad

• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim Chromebook

• Microsoft Surface Laptop Go

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is Your Next Computer Already Outdated?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech and AI Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Guilty Food Pleasures
📦 Featured Product: Brother Laser Printers

📝 Is Your Next Computer Already Outdated?

In the last few years, with aggressive investments in chip production to keep up with the artificial intelligence computing power needed, we’ve seen chip manufacturers working harder and harder not only to speed things up, but simply to keep up with demand.

However, AI, at least from the software side of things, appears to be following a hardware rule - Moore’s Law. This simply states: the number of transistors that can be packed onto a single integrated circuit (chip) double every two years. As I’ve talked a little about how CPUs are manufactured and why they get slower over time the last two weeks, Moore’s Law is the push behind the manufacturing aspect of this.

Although it’s not a physical law but rather an industry trend, it has seemed to slow in recent years as engineers approach the physical limits of manufacturing on the wafers. There are companies trying new things all the time, with one of the most recent examples being Apple bringing its chip manufacturing in-house. Essentially, the low-hanging fruit win (a physically larger chip) has physics issues to deal with - heat from more power needed, latency as the pieces get further apart, but mainly due to more defects showing up the larger the chip gets.

What we’ve actually witnessed in the historical context of technology can happen in a few ways to benefit the business and consumer sides of this.

First, the chips can actually be built in new innovative ways to compute faster. You may have even heard of the nanometer process before. The size has become smaller and smaller over the years. There are tons of manufacturing processes that allow this, but let’s just focus on the fact that the mixture of speed and/or power in regard to manufacturing affects the computation speed.

Second, these manufacturing processes, or the physical product used to create the chips, can become exponentially cheaper. Meaning, the cost to produce twice the computing power today costs the same or less than it did for the power of just one chip (2 years ago). This chart from the NVIDIA keynote last week shows how power and performance affect cost.

Third, and similarly to the previous example, the power required to produce the same compute can be halved. This can be due to a new manufacturing process, or even a new type (or cheaper) power source. This is why we’ve seen many larger companies (that require tons of computing power) invest in remote areas where electricity costs are lower, or the gain from solar power is higher than in their current location. We’ve seen recent examples - just in Louisiana - of this with Amazon, Meta, Hut8, and many more.

Next, this is kind of a cheat, but one other way to allow CPUs to keep doubling is simply a mixture of the above mentioned ways. When combined together and produced in massive quantities, every little bit adds up, and can help save money. We’ve seen this in play over the last few decades. Phones and laptops are simultaneously getting smaller, faster, and using less power (assuming a steady price point). Alternatively, TVs are becoming larger and less expensive, while offering better and better quality. So the technology innovations are still coming at lightning speed.

But there is one more side to this argument - the software side. While faster computing is allowing AI and softwares to keep getting faster and faster, developers are figuring out how to optimize their code. Older systems are being hacked to run newer softwares. A fun test of this is when developers are hacking newer (very basic) hardware to run the computer game Doom. This is only done for fun, but it has become a staple hack to show what these products are capable of. An older (and confusing) example of this is when a programmer hacked a pregnancy test.

When ChatGPT was originally released for the wider public, the computing power required for a basic prompt would satisfy hundreds of prompts for the newest models. At least for their basic/fast model. This is also exponentially better than the earlier version mentioned. LLMs have also become more innovative in how they operate, with many models offering a version that can be downloaded and used on a single laptop — without an internet connection. The same model would have required a server farm and internet access 5 years ago, but the newest iPhone has enough power to run it locally. The Google AI Edge Gallery app mentioned last week is a perfect example of this.

When hardware and software can innovate together, crazy cool things can happen. Moore’s Law appears to still ring true, but time will tell for how long. Or at least in what way. Until then, we’ll still seemingly be paying the same price for a computer that could theoretically be twice as fast for the same price in two years. Keep that in mind next time you purchase your next big tech product!

Which leads to the question: If computers keep getting twice as powerful every few years, when is the “right” time to upgrade?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech and AI Headlines

• Amazon Employees Say AI Is Just Increasing Workload. A New Study Confirms Their Suspicions

• Apple unveils AirPods Max 2 with H2 chip, upgraded noise canceling, and more

• Introducing GPT‑5.4 mini and nano - Fast and efficient models optimized for coding and subagents.

• Introducing the new full-stack vibe coding experience in Google AI Studio - a quick way to build web-based apps. Check out this Magic Coloring Book I built in under a minute, with no coding required!

• Google Fiber will be sold to a private equity firm and merge with a cable company

• Perplexity AI ‘Comet’ browser for iPhone is now available

😎 POTW: Guilty Food Pleasures

Do you have a go-to food item or local spot in town? Perhaps some of these can spur an idea or encourage you to visit a local restaurant!

• All the Different Types of French Fries, Explained

• Are Burritos Sandwiches?

• Eat Your Way Through America’s Best Food Tours

• Here Are The Best 24-Hour Restaurants In Every State

• Reheat Leftover Pizza With These Techniques For Maximum Flavor

• The Hands Down Best Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant In Every US State

📦 Featured Product

If you’ve ever asked me for IT help in the past, chances are I prefaced each interaction with, “I don’t do printers…” Hate is a strong word, but I think it’s okay for me to use it towards printers. I’m also very digital, and only print when I have to. However, if you are in need of a printer for your home, I do have two suggestions, depending on whether you need full color or are okay with black and white only. If this is for your business, just go ahead and pay someone else to handle your printers, and possibly even rent one. It’s worth it! If anything, I typically suggest staying away from the ink jet style. Which leaves the more expensive, but longer-lasting, laser printer version. Brother is a very well respected brand here, and the basic HL-L2405W Wireless Compact Black & White Printer can’t be beat. In their web store, they offer other versions with scanning capabilities and full color, but there are a few to choose from, so I’ll just let you browse.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Why Do Computers Get Slower Over Time?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Google Maps
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Gaming Updates
😎 Pick of the Week: Unique Food Picks
📦 Featured Product: Uninterruptible Power Supply

📝 Why Do Computers Get Slower Over Time?

As mentioned in Weekly Wheaties #2610, CPUs are composed of billions of transistors. As they are produced, not all transistors in the die work properly within the CPU. As these CPUs are tested, their speeds are separated and sorted through the binning process. However, what wasn’t discussed is how these CPUs function over the next few years of use.

As is true with all electronics, the rest of the ‘good’ transistors on each CPU have a tendency to go bad over time. I covered this a bit in depth in Weekly Wheaties #2326, but it’s due to a few factors. Static electricity is probably the most common and can occur from human use and contact (especially over time), which is why you should never touch electronic circuit boards without first disconnecting any power source (including batteries) and then grounding yourself and the equipment.

But, from a circuit board perspective, static electricity is different from a human’s perspective. You’ve probably rubbed your socks on carpet to ‘shock’ your friend before. Compared to a human, though, computers (and other electronics) can be damaged by the smallest amount of static electricity - known as electrostatic discharge (ESD).

Except here’s the more difficult part to grasp. Power disruptions and solar flares are probably the biggest issues for our electronics, especially anything with CPUs or RAM. These devices are the most susceptible due to their smaller size. There is a way to protect our devices from this, but it’s generally either expensive or a hassle to use. A Faraday cage can be constructed in just about any size, or you can purchase smaller versions, like this Faraday Bag, that protect a cell phone or other small electronic device.

For the most part, people aren’t using these in their daily technology use, simply due to the hassle. The return on effort is just too low. You’ve probably had a device that has gotten slower the longer you’ve had it and the more you’ve used it. That’s very common and even expected. As these ESD events occur without us even realizing it, our CPUs are slowing down. I’ve mentioned the importance of restarting, but sometimes even wiping your device and reinstalling the Operating System helps put everything back in check and lets the CPU know which components to contact efficiently.

I shared this example, but a single bit flip (a one or zero) in the code can have pretty profound effects. Check out this video on YouTube of How Cosmic Rays Affect Super Mario Speed Runners. The importance here is that we don’t always know which bit (or transistor) may become damaged and how that modifies the code of the Operating System, or even an app installed on the OS.

In reality, most devices don’t all of a sudden and noticeably slow down because these transistors are failing. The slowdown we experience often comes from newer (or more) software demanding more resources, background apps accumulating, and operating systems growing more complex and bloating over time. Hardware degradation does happen, but it’s usually subtle and slow. It also happens more quickly with less expensive products. Still, the fact that something as small as a random bit flip can alter how our devices behave is a reminder of how delicate modern electronics really are. Gone are the days of throwing our phones across the room, too. Looking at you, Nokia!

So the next time a device starts acting strangely or slowing down, remember that the processor’s original speed is determined by the binning process, but its long-term performance is shaped by everything from software updates to who knows how many tiny ESD events at the transistor level happening every day.

🗞️ ICYMI: Google Maps

For something many of us use every day, it’s been a while since our GPS/Maps have had any kind of major updates. Google states that Immersive Navigation is our biggest transformation of the navigation experience in over a decade. This update now provides a more 3D view of the navigation while showing more important details on your route: lanes, crosswalks, signals, signs, parking recommendations, and even real-time road alerts (possibly similar to Waze).

Along with “redesigned visuals and more intuitive guidance” comes some help from their Gemini AI with Ask Maps. This allows users to ask the AI questions in a more conversational way. However, this feature only works when a route is started and only via voice. You cannot use your phone as normal when driving or interacting - and you shouldn’t be able to, you’re driving! This conversation (and the questions posed) is based on their training of over 300 million places’ reviews and information. It also takes into account a user’s preferences and their own recommendations. So now you can ask, “Where can I get boba tea in the next hour of my road trip without going too far off my current path?”

Download it on Android or iOS.

🗞️ ICYMI: Gaming Updates

As Microsoft had a change in leadership with its gaming division, the new CEO of Xbox shares a bit on Building the Next Generation of Xbox. Along with an update to the Xbox app on PCs, the next version of Xbox (code-named Project Helix) will support PC games while “pushing the boundaries of rendering and simulation.” They also revealed Gaming Copilot is coming to “current-generation consoles” later this year.

The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) ratings board announced four new classification categories. These essentially focus on things that may be “online interaction risks.” This is determined by the type of in-game play and content. For example: purchases of in-game content (including NFTs), paid random items (including loot boxes), play-by-appointment (including daily quests and streaks), and the restrictions placed on communication (blocking or reporting) all dictate what level rating the game may fall under. In general, it appears that games will now have higher ratings than before, at least based on age. Plan accordingly…

😎 POTW: Unique Food Picks

Talking about food can spur some pretty unique conversations. Check out some of these unique curated picks on interesting foods, or what to do with what’s left in your pantry.

• 7 Most Interesting Things in Japanese Vending Machines

• 13 Unique Sports Stadium Foods From Around The US

• 14 Restaurants From TV Shows And Movies You Can Actually Eat At

• Ranking Americans’ most hated foods

• SuperCook - Zero Waste Recipe Generator

📦 Featured Product

In tandem with this week’s post, consider purchasing an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). A UPS is essentially a battery backup that allows you to connect electrical devices (typically your computer and monitor) so you can continue using them for a limited amount of time when the power goes out. However, they have the added benefit of protecting your devices from electrical surges. They can’t fully protect things, as a major electrical discharge, like lightning hitting close by, can cause too much surge, but they can help exponentially. Your devices will run on the batteries, which are continually recharged until power is out. The two biggest brands in this space that I recommend are CyberPower and APC. I personally use one similar to the one I would suggest, the CyberPower CP1500. Having more Volt-Amps and Wattage will either allow you to connect more devices or keep them powered on for a longer time without power.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Why Do Some CPUs Cost More Than Others?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: New Apple Products
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Google AI Edge Gallery
📦 Featured Product: Travel Jewerly Case

📝 Why Do Some CPUs Cost More Than Others?

Let’s start out with what a CPU is. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is essentially the brain of your computer, phone, or tablet. It communicates with every other piece and part of your device, from the storage to the screen to the WiFi chip. But not all CPUs are created equally. When you purchase a device, you may have noticed the CPU is marketed at a certain speed - typically measured in Gigahertz (GHz). You may have also seen a listed number of Cores. These numbers are important and do have a purpose, but they’re probably not as complicated as you think.

In order to create a CPU, billions of transistors are etched into a die at the nanometer scale. There are other terms here that all describe either part of the process or other material (i.e., wafer, packaging, etching, layering), but the important part to understand is that multiple CPUs are essentially built at the same time. They are built with the same material, on the same machines, with the same settings, over and over again.

Here’s where it gets tricky, though. Not every CPU that comes off the die is created equal. At the scale (both in the number of CPUs created and the size of the electronics on each CPU), there are tons of variations in the final product, with some even having defects. When removed, each CPU is sent for testing. They are electrically tested for their running voltage and the speed at which they can function. Then, they are sorted by performance. This process is called binning.

Why do they have different voltages and speeds, you may ask? Well, as mentioned, they may be created equal, but they aren’t produced equal. Let’s compare this to baking brownies. Each brownie produced is made with the same mix, placed in the same tray, and baked at the same temperature for the same amount of time. But the edges cook differently from the center pieces. Similarly, some CPUs come off the line capable of running at higher speeds. As they are sorted by speed, the consumer is able to purchase different grades at various price points. The ones that don’t meet certain specs are sold at a ‘discount,’ but only under a different name.

The Intel line of CPUs is a great example to compare here. Over the last few generations of CPUs, they usually offer models ending in 5, 7, or 9. The 5 is the more budget-friendly version, the 9 is the performance version costing the most, and the 7 is the middle-of-the-pack version. From a production standpoint, these are all identical. Just looking at them, they may even appear identical. However, they function at different speeds and cost differently based on those speeds.

Another kicker is the software side of things. Manufacturers can limit the speeds of CPUs to make it fit one of the tiers better if it’s not quite fast enough for the higher tier. Then, a consumer can overclock that same CPU to outperform its original listed speeds. This is why (and how) some CPUs that are the same speed can perform differently. And many may not like to hear this, but that is also why one computer can ‘last longer’ than another with identical specs otherwise.

Smartphone and tablet CPUs go through the same manufacturing and testing processes as PCs, too. The difference here is that phone manufacturers usually hide the variation behind software and power management. Most phone CPUs are overkill for what they are needed for - except for gaming apps that require a lot of processing power. However, some phone models have a “Pro” option that is only possible because of the binning process.

So the next time you purchase a device and are trying to decide between speeds, remember, you’re not buying a different recipe — just a better brownie from the same pan.

🗞️ ICYMI: New Apple Products

In a series of press releases last week, Apple introduced the new iPhone 17e, an updated iPad Air, an updated MacBook Air, an updated MacBook Pro, new Studio Displays, and an all-new MacBook Neo. The iPad, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro all have the new M5 chip installed with other updates, and the Studio Displays have a drop in price compared to the last few models, while upgrading their specs.

The two devices stealing the show (and headlines) are the iPhone 17e and the MacBook Neo. These are both the first entry points into the Mac ecosystem for their devices, with a price to match. Both come in at $599 and are a hard bargain to beat when compared to the competition. If you want an iPhone or a MacBook, are a student, or may just be testing things out, these are two no-brainer options. The MacBook Neo can also be purchased for $499 in the Apple Education Store.

For both devices, yes, you are giving up some features, but it’s up to you to decide at what price point what a feature is worth. Apple is infamous for the pricing ladder to maximize their profit. I mean, they have 4 different types of iPad models. Not to mention, multiple pricing ladders within each model. Then accessories on top of that. If you’re curious, you can read here on The Technical Differences Between the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Google ends its 30 percent app store fee and welcomes third-party app stores

• OpenAI introduced GPT‑5.3 Instant - a smoother model, more useful for everyday conversations, and GPT‑5.4 - their most capable and efficient frontier model for professional work.

• SpaceX to expand Starlink’s mobile coverage as it seeks $1.75 trillion IPO valuation

• Starlink targets 25m users by year-end as Gen2 satellite plan promises 100x data density

• The Pentagon vs Anthropic, Explained

😎 POTW: Google AI Edge Gallery

While I realize this could have been part of the news this week, I feel it deserves a spot as a Pick of the Week. Google recently released an AI app, both for Android and iOS, for no charge. It is essentially an AI Large Language Model (LLM) that can run locally on your phone or tablet without an internet connection. That may not sound like that big of a deal, but with there is no subscription model to use it, and you will never run out of credits. That also means it is somewhat limited in what it can do, but I bet it’d still surprise you. Before using, you must download a model or two. They are between 3-5 gigabytes, so it does take up a bit of space on your device. Then, there are a few options to choose from. I’ll highlight 3. The “Ask Image” model allows you to upload an image and ask it questions about the image. This also means you can ask it to pull text from the image - one of my favorite prompts. The second option of “Audio Scribe” is just what it sounds like - upload an audio file, and it will give you the transcript. You can also translate that same file. The last option of “AI Chat” is the on-device chatbot. Obviously, for the size, your output may be limited and not the best. But it’s a great app to play around with and start diving into chatbots at no cost!

📦 Featured Product

I was talking with a friend the other day about tech pouches. I’ve suggested the Bagsmart Electronic Tech Pouch in the past, as that’s what I use. However, it does have one downside compared to others - it isn’t sturdy. This can be viewed as a pro or a con, depending on the situation. I personally like this one for my backpack as it doesn’t take up more space than is necessary. There are others available that fit here, but I wanted to share this Travel Jewelry Case instead. It is a bit geared more towards women, and it can also double as a jewelry case to allow mix and matching when you're packing!

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are We Getting Smarter, Dumber, or Just Storing Less?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: The Future of Tech
😎 Pick of the Week: Food Snob Starter Pack
📦 Featured Product: Buildin.ai

📝 Are We Getting Smarter, Dumber, or Just Storing Less?

In my personal and professional life, I’m a big fan of creating SOPs. Just in case you don’t believe me enough, you can see where I wrote about The Importance of Crafting Simple Standard Operating Procedures about a year ago. This topic has come up in more recent conversations, and I’ve seen a few different takes that I’d like to add to. One of the biggest problems with Knowledge Management (KM) and its little brother, SOPs, has to do with the sharing of that knowledge and data.

There are tons of softwares available to help here, but the bigger issue is having people actually document what is needed, and then sharing that information with those who need it. I think one of the biggest qualms I have is that when we don’t share information willingly, we not only limit our productivity, but we also limit potential innovations due to technical issues we may not even know exist. There are also two schools of thought here. First, our cognitive limitations, and second, hardware or software limitations.

The cognitive limitations are pretty obvious. We can only remember so much. There’s a study that shares how We don’t lose our childhood memories, scientists say they’re just out of reach. This is one reason it’s important to write things down and actually track what matters. Another study that kind of alludes to this states that Gen Z becomes first generation in history to score lower on IQ tests than their parents.

Many people would argue it’s because of their phones, computers, openness to the internet, and other technological factors. But I would bet you probably don’t remember any phone numbers you only learned about in the last 10-15 years. Your phone remembers them for you. However, you still probably remember your childhood phone number, or possibly your favorite local takeout. Kids these days know and remember different things than we did. The argument of social media use can also stand to argue that it may hinder long-term memory.

As technology innovates even more, there is another looming question: Is Artificial Intelligence Slowing Our Brain Functioning? You can imagine the answer, I’m sure. Sometimes, though, cognitive offloading helps. We use GPS to tell us how to get somewhere we’ve been 1000 times. This may be for the traffic, but this can also allow us to wonder and put forth brain power towards other thoughts we have. One less thing in a world where there are tons of things to worry about.

One tip for helping remember things includes writing it down. This is where I send you back to the beginning of this post regarding the importance of an SOP and KM before moving on. If you don’t have a personal database, folder, notes, etc, for things that would be important to you - here’s your sign to start. And don’t keep them in one place, because if you lose your phone or computer, it’s all for naught.

This is where we move into the limits of our systems’ hardware and software put in place. One of the most famous technological limitations put on software includes the Y2K problem. Many computer systems were designed in the 1950s-1970s and used two digits for the year - “65” for “1965” for example. Using two digits wasn’t necessarily just a choice that someone made, either; it was almost forced.

Using 4 digits literally doubled the amount of storage required, and in the same time frame of developing these softwares, hardware (storage) was extremely expensive. Every little bit helped, and sacrifices were made. Short-term thinking won over long-term viability. Not to mention it could have literally bankrupted a company or kept them from growing.

Fast forward to the mid-1990s, and this problem was now approaching. It wasn’t just an easy fix, either. Changing the code in millions of lines of software across thousands of softwares was not a quick or simple task. Storage is cheaper in comparison, but it required a lot of man-power and testing to make sure things went right.

With softwares being developed today to focus on an MVP, sometimes hardware or software limitations are put in place due to access or money. However, as you create systems and rules based on the hardware and software limitations in place, you should always be prepared to pivot or take another route when things change. These invisible constraints keep things from scaling appropriately, too. All that said, You Need a Second Brain. And it needs to be simple.

Are you capturing things for your personal Knowledge Management database? Your future self is begging you to.

🗞️ ICYMI: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked

Last week, Samsung held their annual Samsung Galaxy Unpacked keynote - introducing the new Galaxy S26 and Galaxy Buds 4. The phone comes with many AI updates, camera updates, software updates for camera apps, and an all-new Privacy Display - essentially giving you the same technology from screen protectors to provide a privacy screen. This is a very cool feature that will start a trend, I’d bet. And it can be turned on or off as necessary, too, based on specific apps or notifications. You can watch the Official Replay on YouTube or The Verge’s 12-minute recap.

🗞️ ICYMI: The Future of Tech

• Google keeps iterating Nano Banana 2: Combining Pro capabilities with lightning-fast speed.

• Here’s How Many Remote Operators Waymo Has Per Self-Driving Taxi

• Meta and AMD Agree to AI Chips Deal Worth More Than $100 Billion

• Microsoft’s new 10,000-year data storage medium: glass

• Nearby Glasses - an Android app to show you if there’s anyone wearing Meta smart glasses.

• SpaceX, OpenAI & Anthropic IPOs : A $3 Trillion Stress Test

• What the future will look like for Elon Musk and Sam Altman in 2050 if AI continues to scale, requiring more and more energy, and taking more and more jobs. This was also a Black Mirror episode.

😎 POTW: Food Snob Starter Pack

• How to Dry-Age Steak in Your Fridge

• I Know Firsthand What It Was Like to Eat with Anthony Bourdain

• Italy’s undercover pizza detectives

• Online Archive of 12,700 Vintage Cookbooks

• The Oldest Restaurant In Every State

📦 Featured Product

This week, I’d like to share a piece of software to tie into the post. Buildin.ai is a new tool offered through AppSumo that helps with personal Knowledge/Project Management, Notes, Timelines, Mind Maps, and more. This is very similar to Notion, OneNote, and EverNote, offering a few features they don’t in a new and minimal way. A neat option is the ability to offer free or paid access to a public-facing page - I’ll share an example in the coming weeks as I prepare it. You can sign up for a free account or purchase a lifetime license starting at $49.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Why would I hardwire everything?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Reading, Writing, and Language
📦 Featured Product: Ethernet Cable Tools

📝 Why would I hardwire everything?

Hopefully, my post last week had you checking out if you are paying for TV you could watch for free. For many of us, streaming is by far the main culprit of our internet’s bandwidth. If that sounds like you, may I suggest something you consider for your streaming devices, if not everything you can that accesses the internet in your home — a hardwired internet connection! To be clear, a hardwire connection means you have an internet cable plugged into a given device that connects directly to your home’s internet router.

What are the benefits of this over WiFi, you may ask? There are a few pros and cons for sure, but ultimately, it’s about a consistent and steady connection. Long story short, hardwired connections are not competing with other devices on your network like WiFi may be. A really good analogy of this is vehicles on the roadway.

WiFi is like the interstate. When everyone is using it, there is congestion and things slow down. Sure, if you’re the only one on it, things move quickly, but chances are, you have way more than one device on WiFi at a time. Phones, tablets, computers, TVs, smart devices, cameras, and much more all compete for the best WiFi connection. WiFi also has interference with walls and can be affected by the distance away from the router, too.

Alternatively, if a device is hardwired to your router, it’s like that device has its own private roadway. There’s only one start and end, and nothing else can use that road except for the one device cleared for it. Nothing can cause interference (for the sake of most households), and the connection isn’t affected by other devices or distance — within its abilities, anyway. hardwired connections typically have a distance limitation of 300-700 feet, depending on the type of cable used.

The two biggest issues between hardwired and WiFi deal with speed and stability. Many of the newer routers can have WiFi speeds from 600 Mbps up to 10 Gbps. The high end of that scale is theoretical and depends on interference and distance, as mentioned already. However, they are possible and often faster than hardwired speeds, which typically cap out at 1 Gbps in home setups. If that sounds Greek to you, no worries! Generally speaking, WiFi can be faster. But here’s the kicker - it doesn’t matter!

Nothing you are doing needs anything near any of those speeds. Streaming movies or TV shows at 8K only needs 100 Mbps, and 4K is much lower at around 25 Mbps. If you have a constant hardwired connection, your bandwidth is more than sufficient (assuming your ISP connection provides enough bandwidth). Not sure if you have enough? Check out my post on How Much Speed Do You Really Need?

As discussed, though, the consistency and stability are what we’re after. Especially when streaming, WiFi can have hiccups more often, causing lag and disruptions in your connections. Anything that is stable in location is highly suggested to be hardwired as best you can. This goes for security cameras, gaming consoles, desktop computers, laptop computers (when used at a desk for a Work-From-Home setup), any network storage devices, and streaming devices - especially TVs. hardwired connections are also much safer from a security point of view. To that point, how about some Tips and Tricks for a Faster, Safer WiFi Connection?

By hard-wiring as many devices as you can, you also free up your WiFi to allow those that require WiFi (phones, tablets, smart devices) to be more consistent in their connection since they’re not competing with as many other devices.

Something to note: I do recognize there are times when hardwiring isn’t possible. If you are renting or do not have an easy way to run ethernet cables, or if you have only a few devices competing for bandwidth, WiFi may suffice. I’ve shared this before as a Pick of the Week, but a Coax or Powerline Ethernet Adapter may be an option in this scenario if you still want a hardwired connection.

Lastly, in my Pick of the Week for this post, I’ve shared some tools that will help if you choose to try some DIY hardwiring for ethernet in your home. Check it out below!

Remember, hardwiring is not about replacing Wi-Fi. It’s about giving important devices a dedicated lane instead of making them sit in traffic. This allows a more consistent and stable connection, without giving up speed or convenience.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Apple is Working on Three AI Wearables: Smart Glasses, AI Pin, and AirPods With Cameras.

• NASA Is Now Allowing Astronauts to Bring Their Smartphones into Space

• Peter Steinberger, the guy who created OpenClaw: The Viral AI Agent that Broke the Internet, was just hired by OpenAI.

• Tesla now offers the Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive Cybertruck variant starting at $59,990.

😎 POTW: Reading, Writing, and Language

Looking for something new to read, learn, or explore? Check out the picks below:

• 6 Unusual Libraries That Aren’t Home to Books

• 7 must-read books for mastering essential life skills

• 12 niche historical non-fiction books

• Ancient Literature Dude on YouTube

• Children’s Author Roald Dahl’s Writing Process

• FocalRead: Speed Reading App

• From Old English to Modern American English in One Monologue

• Hooked: Discover your next favorite classic book

• Use AI to Find Your New Favorite Book

📦 Featured Product

If you are wanting to hardwire some devices in your home, maybe you want to make your own ethernet cables? This can be beneficial if you are making a longer run, through walls, or even want to make a lot of cables and save some money. All that it takes is the correct tools, some time, and patience! Before purchasing, check out this video on YouTube for a great walk-through.

You’ll need a crimping tool, pass-through connectors (DO NOT buy non-pass-through connectors - it’s not worth it), a spool of ethernet cable, a spool of outdoor ethernet cable if using outdoors, and a cable tester. You can also purchase a tool kit that includes everything but the cable. This is suggested and good for 99% of home use.

Technically, you don’t have to purchase a cable tester, as you can just connect the wire and see if it works. However, just because it works doesn’t mean it is working to the best of its ability in terms of speed and stability. I do suggest a tester, but in a pinch (or at least for the short term), you can do without. Also, if you just want to purchase premade cables, Cable Matters offers an inexpensive option in multiple lengths.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are You Paying for TV You Could Watch for Free?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: SpaceX
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Super Bowl Commercials
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Recapp Sports Highlights
📦 Featured Product: Magnetic Wristband

📝 Are You Paying for TV You Could Watch for Free?

In the past, I’ve made a post about How to Cut Cable and Join the Cord Cutters Revolution, along with An Update and Tips for Cord Cutting in 2025. With streaming becoming an ever-growing piece of technology that is engulfing our entertainment more and more, I figured another update would be useful, and hopefully appreciated. With less than half the homes in America having cable TV anymore, larger streaming services like Netflix trying to purchase studio companies, and studios creating their own standalone streaming services, the streaming wars are not cooling down.

That said, there are tons of streaming services available to help you replace traditional cable. There are those like YouTube TV to try to replace traditional cable, as well as those like Disney, ESPN, and Hulu creating their own entertainment platform. Outside of those, there’s another niche set of services that will help supplement traditional cord-cutters, or simply those who may have never had cable in the first place.

Enter FAST Services. These are Free Ad-supported Streaming Television services. As long as you have an internet connection, you can gain access to these services free of charge. Typically, they are broken up into two categories. The first includes the 24/7 streams of entertainment. Consider this as being the “antenna” version of the internet TV world. The other style includes on-demand viewing. In both cases, they often include older or niche programming. Don’t expect newer content here.

To be clear. These services are not illegal or piracy. They are very legitimate and have licensed content they share. They are also not free trials, or “free with limitations.” They are simply ad-supported. Sometimes they may require an account to be created, but that isn’t always required. And all that does is allow you to save programming to your list to follow, and keep your watch history synced. Many newer TVs or streaming devices now even come bundled with FAST channels pre-installed.

With there being hundreds, if not thousands, of FAST services available, here are some major ones I’d like to share. All have a free option (at least at the time of writing). They may not all be available on every platform, and some may have a paid tier, so tread carefully.

General

• Angel Studios

• Chick-fil-A Play

• Comet

• DistroTV

• Documentaries - watch free online documentaries

• ElectricNOW

• Fandango at Home (fka Vudu) (Some free content)

• Fawesome

• FilmRise

• ForLifeTV

• Freebie TV

• Freevee (fka IMDb TV)

• Google TV Freeplay (Google TV devices)

• Hoopla (free with a Library Card)

• Kanopy (free with a Library Card)

• KlowdTV

• LG Channels (LG TVs)

• PBS (Participating local affiliate required)

• Philo Free (Unlimited 30-day DVR on most content)

• Plex

• Pluto TV

• RedeemTV

• Samsung TV Plus (Samsung & TCL TVs)

• Sling Freestream (10-hour DVR)

• STIRR

• TCL TV+ (Roku TV & Roku devices)

• The CW

• The Roku Channel

• TiVo+ (TiVo devices)

• Tubi

• TV Garden

• Xumo

• YouTube Movies & TV – Free with Ads

News/Weather

• ABC News Live

• AccuWeather

• CBS News

• FOX Local

• Fox Weather

• Haystack News

• Livestream News Network

• Local Now

• NBC News NOW

• NewsON

• NewsNation

• NewsNet

• Scripps News

• WeatherNation

• Zeam (fka VUit)

As a bonus, I’ve shared about an app called TV Time before in order to help track your shows. Something very similiar I started using (mainly because they have an Apple TV app) is called Trakt. This allows you to track your shows, see what’s coming up soon, and even function similiar to JustWatch.com in order to see what streaming service is playing a specific show or movie. Once downside to these FAST services is their licenses for a specific show may only cover a season or two. You may have to jump service to service to finish out the rest of a show. Using one of these apps will help keep you on track!

In a world where streaming keeps getting more expensive, FAST services are quietly bringing TV back to its original model. Don’t forget there’s always the tried and true antenna! When there is almost unlimited content to watch for free, what FAST service are you using?

🗞️ ICYMI: SpaceX

As they continue their expansion to (and in) space, SpaceX announced they will delay Mars plans to focus on the Moon. As part of their ongoing relationship (or contract) with NASA, they also recently sent a mission to the ISS, relieving a bare-bones astronaut crew. Their subsidiary, Starlink, is exploring a "Starlink Phone" for direct-to-device internet services, leveraging its network of satellites already providing global internet connectivity. This is still a rumor, but they have partnered with T-Mobile to provide Starlink connectivity to existing smartphones - so the technology (hardware and software) is already there.

🗞️ ICYMI: Super Bowl Commercials

For those of you who tuned in just for the commercials during the big game, you may have noticed a lot of talk and use of AI. There were some bold plays with AI from the expected tech companies, but even one that appeared to be a full AI-created commercial from Svedka Vodka. Some aren’t receiving the feedback they thought they would, either. Amazon’s Ring Search Party commercial has users so concerned about their privacy and security, the backlash has caused Amazon to end its controversial partnership with Flock Safety, a law enforcement tech company.

You can check out this extensive list of 2026 Super Bowl Commercials on YouTube or look at Billboard’s 10 Best Super Bowl Commercials 2026.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Anthropic closes $30 billion funding round at $380 billion valuation

• Apple’s buying an AI company that listens to ‘silent speech’

• Ferrari introduced a new EV, the Ferrari Luce.

• MrBeast just bought a banking app

😎 POTW: Recapp Sports Highlights

I’ll be honest. I grew up playing all sorts of sports and still consider myself to be at least a bit athletic. However, I haven’t been as much of a professional sports fan in the past few years. The biggest issue for me is simply having time to watch games - regardless of the sport. Something I recently found that fits with the cord-cutting aspect and helps with the sports side of things is an app called Recapp.

You can track a sport (NFL, CFB, MLB, NBA, CBB, NHL, WNBA, MLS) or any of those sports’ teams. News, scores, stats, and schedules are all available within the app, but the hero here is the Game Highlights. You can rewatch entire games in minutes with highlights of the main plays or scores in a social media reels-type feed. Pro tip: visit the Profile tab and “Hide Scores” to keep from spoiling any games as you watch the highlights.

As of now, it’s only available on the Apple App Store.

📦 Featured Product

If you decided to take on some of the House Picks/Spring Cleaning tips from Weekly Wheaties #2606, consider a Magnetic Wristband. A simple velcro strap for your wrist has magnets strong enough to hold screws, nuts, and bolts to your wrist while working. Something else useful if you don’t have one is a Magnetizer/Demagnetizer for screwdriver tips, bits and other small tools. This allows your tools to be magnetized or not to hold screws, nuts, and bolts while trying to put them in the correct place.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are All Hackers Really the Bad Guys?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: xAI and SpaceX
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Going Away
😎 Pick of the Week: House Picks
📦 Featured Product: Infrared Thermometer

📝 Are All Hackers Really the Bad Guys?

What does it actually mean when you are hacked? And why would someone even hack you? Are there really people who do this for a living? As in a legitimate profession? How does one even end up in this space? For starters, hackers can be sorted into three different colored hats: White, Gray, and Black. Before you ask. No, the hats are not doing the sorting. Hackers self-select their color, as you’ll see.

Let’s break them down…

White Hat hackers may also be referred to as pentesters. They are trying to test the possible penetration of computer and network systems in order to help protect them from bad actors. These ‘hackers’ practice the same methods as the others, but are always given permission to act. This may be part of their daily role and routine within the company they work for, or they may be a hired consultant. Either way, they are given carte blanche access and permission to conduct this penetration test. So, what exactly is a penetration test?

You have probably even been subject to one within your organization without even realizing it. Multiple times. Phishing emails, people asking you to let them in the building, random texts, phone calls, and more. These tests are, in fact, testing the system (both software and hardware) to find any and all vulnerabilities. Many times, the easiest way to hack a system comes by way of human error. And sometimes, the most simple and basic error allows the bigger hacks.

On the other end of this spectrum are the Black Hat hackers. These are the bad actors. They are trying to gain access to a system to cause harm, steal something, or simply disrupt service in order to benefit from it somehow. They use the same methods as mentioned above, but also a few others that white hat hackers may not be able to use. That’s because some of the things done in this space are illegal, and if caught, there can and will be legal steps taken against them from the company in question. If not the company, potentially even law enforcement.

Gray Hat hackers live in the middle somewhere. They may do illegal things (or at least, toe the line), but it may be for something good. This gray area can also be influenced by money. Some refer to these by the well-known adage, “there is honor among thieves”, as depending on who you ask, they may be hacking the good or bad guys. Obviously, the bad side of this mirrors the Black Hat hacker's thought process. But the White Hat side can come from open invitations.

As mentioned in Weekly Wheaties #2605, both Apple and Microsoft have bug bounty programs. In some cases, bugs in the code don’t just cause typical errors, they can open up huge security flaws. In these instances, Apple or Microsoft will pay these hackers (or developers) for errors they find in the code in order to patch it before others may find it. This is another reason softwares update so much, too!

If you don’t think this ever affects you, either, there have been some major hacks in recent history that your personal and private data has probably been leaked from. For example, Equifax Announced a Cybersecurity Incident that could have been prevented. An unpatched Apache Struts flaw was behind this massive security breach. This isn’t completely fair to their cybersecurity team, but essentially, an update wasn’t installed that should have been. At least, it wasn’t installed in a more timely manner and allowed bad actors to take advantage of it.

In some other newsletters, I covered the topics of Unmasking the Mystery of VPNs, What Should You Do After You’ve Been Hacked?, and Don’t be the Biggest Threat to Your Own Network that fits this topic well. But to close out, I’d also like to share two other links that dive a bit deeper into this world that I find fascinating.

First, Wired’s YouTube video on a Cybersecurity Expert Answers Hacking History Questions has some great insight for historical hacking up to current processes.

Next, the book 12 Last Steps by a fictitious author (to potentially protect the original author) walks through what could happen should AI decide to take over. Which could be argued by force, but the author also makes a good case for how the people (at least as a whole) will beg for it to happen - at least in the way drawn out. It’s very thought-provoking and worth the short read.

What other major hacks have you witnessed or have been affected by?

🗞️ ICYMI: xAI and SpaceX

In their own words, “xAI joins SpaceX to Accelerate Humanity’s Future.” Now, understanding what a rocket company and an AI company have in common may be a stretch, but there are two schools of thought here. For one, it’s possible SpaceX acquired xAI (including X.com) to help float it monetarily. xAI has been shown to burn through roughly $1 billion a month. This could be an even bigger play as there is talk of going public. And if so, to the tune of $1.25 trillion.

But, as Starlink (a division of SpaceX) and xAI continue to grow, the next chapter includes harnessing power from the sun from space. In a very lengthy interview posted to YouTube, Elon Musk notes that “In 36 months, the cheapest place to put AI will be space.” He also noted it’s easier to scale and 10x less expensive to put solar panels in space.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Going Away

Out of nowhere, Los Angeles aims to ban single-use printer cartridges. I think this is something we can all get behind, if for no other reason - no one likes their ink drying out on them!

Over the pond, France is ditching Zoom and Microsoft Teams for a homegrown video platform called Visio. Not to be confused with Microsoft Visio.

In case you didn’t know 8K TVs exist, apparently the TV industry (or at least LG) finally concedes that the future may not be in 8K. No worries here, either. This image shows you probably don’t need anything above 4K, anyway.

As data centers move away from China and into the US, TikTok faces app deletions, censorship claims and glitches in days after its ownership change. However, they still note “daily average users are still increasing …and people spend more time on the platform than its rivals.”

😎 POTW: House Picks

Planning a move or some updates to your home? Here are some random picks that have some insight into random things around your home. Maybe you could even get a head start on some spring cleaning to dos?

• 8 Things To Always Unplug When You Go On Vacation–And 3 Things To Keep Plugged In

• 10 Hacks for Moving Day That Everyone Should Know

• A Home Maintenance Checklist: An Incredibly Handy Tool to Keep Your House in Tip-Top Shape

• How to Choose and Safely Use a Ladder

• The secret society of people who know the WD-40 formula

• Tour a 2026 Airstream Frank Lloyd Wright Travel Trailer

• Your Complete Home Maintenance Checklist for Every Season

📦 Featured Product

Perhaps you have a Digital Thermometer to check the temperature when you or a family member becomes ill. These are very quick and handy, but you should also consider this Infrared Thermometer Laser. It can check the temperature for tons of things around the house. Food, walls/ceilings, A/C or heat vents, the pool or tub, among many other things. This model allows a continuous scanning mode, too, to constantly check while moving the targeted area.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Why Do Softwares Update So Much?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Apple Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tesla Updates
😎 Pick of the Week: Music Picks
📦 Featured Product: Goodr and Meta Sunglasses

📝 Why do softwares update so much?

If you’ve used a computer or phone for at least a month or so, you’ve dealt with the Operating System (OS), apps, or softwares therein wanting to update. Perhaps you’ve even lost work from a computer randomly restarting on you in the middle of a workday. Apologies if this has ever been the case. The reasons an OS updates so much and requires a restart are fairly straightforward: security patches.

Apple’s Mac OS follows an annual version release in the fall after announcing it at their WWDC in June earlier in the year. Patches and updates are more frequent, but can come as needed, anywhere between 4-8 weeks. You can follow all changes in their Release Notes.

Microsoft’s Windows OS also provides major updates in the second half of the calendar year, but provides security updates on the second Tuesday of every month. You can also follow their Update release cycle.

Put simply, the larger the codebase is for a piece of software, the more it needs to be updated. These updates can include security patches as mentioned above, but may also include fixes for compatibility issues, bugs in the code, or even smaller functional or user experience updates. Many of these updates are for things you’d never see and/or interact with. In fact, there are even an Apple Security Bounty Program and a Microsoft Bug Bounty Program, where other developers can submit their findings for monetary rewards.

As these companies add and remove features, they have to push updates to their users. Once a new update is implemented, the process of finding new [bugs, issues, etc.] theoretically starts all over again. A small change in one part of the code can cause a larger change in another part of the code, too. On top of that, the more and more users who are interacting with the software on a daily basis, they find more and more issues. Then again, the larger customer base a piece of software has, the bigger a target it becomes for security threats - thereby causing more and more frequent updates.

In many cases, updates require a restart (at least on a computer) to finish installing the updates and make the new code ‘active.’ In other cases, you may simply be required to re-login to your account within the app or software in question. Again, this is to make sure your account is connected properly after the software reloads the new code.

Within mobile and desktop applications, this happens much more frequently. Here, not only are the apps updating themselves, but they must update to meet the demands of the new OS code on the phone or device. Not only that, new features can allow new ways of interacting with the app, security issues must be patched, or the app may be blocked (if not removed), and as each new update is pushed out, older devices may no longer support the new code, causing the apps to break as well.

Another thing app developers deal with is the idea of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). In simple terms, what can a developer code, build, and ship that allows their app to complete the core features of what they have in mind. Gone are the days of shipping full-featured finished products. Developers know consumers will adapt, provide feedback for future features wanted, but more than that, they know the importance of being first to market, or at least “one of the” first to market.

Similar to the idea stolen from investments, “time in the market” beats “timing the market.” Many of the popular apps that are popular have been around for much longer than you may have heard about them. Of course, there are some that get wildly popular overnight, but those also aren’t guaranteed to stick around. Slow, sustainable growth is what keeps these softwares and apps afloat for the long run.

Another concept that requires frequent updates comes from Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. Put simply, “Move fast and break things.” They have grown so large, the break things part has been removed from the mantra, but the premise still stands. The more you change, the more updates are shipped, causing the users to want more features, causing the software to change, and repeat…

So, the next time your computer asks to restart, or an app needs to update before you’re able to use it, try to see it less as an interruption and more as evidence that the software is still being updated with features and security patches. Instead of clicking “remind me later” multiple times, treat updates like routine maintenance and set aside time to verify they are, in fact, installed and up to date.

🗞️ ICYMI: Apple Updates

Apple introduced a new AirTag last week, which keeps the same price of $29. MacRumors shared 10+ Things to Know About the New AirTag 2, but the big picture things include better Bluetooth with a longer range (1.5x), and a louder speaker (with a new tone). The new AirTag requires an updated iOS, which also means it won’t work on devices that aren’t able to support iOS 26. Apple also forecasts strong sales growth as iPhone demand in Asia rebounds, and that “holiday-quarter results beat estimates, with CEO Tim Cook telling Reuters that demand ‌for the latest handsets was "staggering.””

🗞️ ICYMI: Tesla Updates

A couple of weeks ago, Tesla Announced FSD Purchase Option Will Go Away for one-time purchases. What that meant was customers could no longer purchase full self-driving outright after February 14, and will lock lane-keeping behind a $99/month fee. However, FSD does come bundled with the Model S, Model X, and the Cybertruck. That is, until later this year as Tesla is killing off the Model S and Model X in lieu of “moving into a future that is based on autonomy.” Those production facilities will build Optimus robots moving forward.

😎 POTW: Music Picks

Moving on in the entertainment space, here are some music picks for you to enjoy!

• 50 Influential Albums to Hear Before You Die

• Musicmap | The Genealogy and History of Popular Music Genres

• Radiooooo: Explore Global Music Over the Decades

• The Beatles: Their Story In Pictures, 1982

• The Best Long Songs, Definitively Ranked

📦 Featured Product

Almost 3 years ago now, I talked about how Goodrs are some of my favorite purchases under $100, then again about how I always carry a pair in my EDC. I still have multiple pairs and use them just about every day. I’m not quite ready to make the jump to smartglasses yet, but every person I know or see with the Meta Ray-Bans absolutely loves them. The Gen 1 version appears to still be holding strong, but the Gen 2 version adds longer battery life and an upgraded camera. Both versions are available with a clear lens, a polarized lens, or a transition lens.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are APIs the Waiters of the Web?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: TikTok and Microdrama
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: OpenAI and Google
😎 Pick of the Week: Movie Picks
📦 Featured Product: Nix Mini 3

📝 Are APIs the Waiters of the Web?

Just last year, I talked about The Power of Automation Software to Upgrade Your Workflows and mentioned how an API (Application Programming Interface) helps multiple pieces of softwares communicate with each other.

Put simply, developers of (generally larger) software companies create APIs that other developers (or softwares in this case) can take advantage of. Essentially, these APIs allow one software to control another. But in a very limited sense. When a developer creates an API for their software, it provides very specific commands that other softwares can use to control it. These may include adding an item, updating an item, performing a search, or much more. Most of the services I listed in Weekly Wheaties #2522 are using APIs on the backend of their software.

So, why does this matter?

Well, in recent times, API use and behavior have absolutely changed with the advent and use of LLMs and AI. Any app you see that is considered an AI chatbot, has AI-enabled within its app, or has been vibe-coded in some way, is probably using APIs. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has a section of their app called Explore GPTs, where anyone can build a GPT within ChatGPT. These are the low-hanging fruit examples of an API, but they are still basic examples.

ChatGPT and many other apps (not even AI related) even use a fairly basic API for you to log in or create an account - Sign in with Google. Every app that does this isn’t creating their own login page, they are using an API provided to them by Google. This is also possible with Apple, Facebook, and other systems that use the “Login with…” feature.

For a bit more fun, and adding to last week’s post, let’s now explain APIs using the food theme. At a high level, if a chef is comparable to an LLM, an API can be compared to a waiter in a restaurant. They take orders, relay the order to the kitchen, and deliver what was ordered. They cannot change how the kitchen works, or deliver something not in the kitchen. Only pass on requests and return results.

When apps speak to an API, they have a set of rules they must follow (similar to a menu from a restaurant), and can only access and deliver information within the app they have access to. We could go even further and say in the restaurant example, you could also imagine the waiter wasn’t a physical person, and instead was the intermediary between the customer and the kitchen in a digital sense - through the customer ordering their food through an app. In this case, there is a limit on what is allowed to be asked of the kitchen.

As you can see, these APIs exist to help softwares and the companies that use them to edit or share information without allowing end users full control or access to the entire system. By having rules in place, they are also not allowed to ‘click around’ and break something. This control also helps when systems are updated, preventing disruptions to communications and access.

In comparison to an app or a website, they are able to utilize APIs in order to give their software more features. This matters for typical consumers, because it is important to at least have some basic understanding of how many of these services interact and communicate. Both for our security and convenience. A more obvious example you use online all the time is when you purchase an item or service.

On the backend of all transactions is a payment processor. These include PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, and other person-to-person processors you may use with friends and for some online purchases. But for larger businesses, their payment processors utilize APIs from Square, Stripe, Toast, and many more. This allows them to receive payment via credit cards and keep all personal information private and secure - not only for you, but for them, too.

Just like a waiter can’t redesign the kitchen or ask the chef to cook something not in the pantry, APIs don’t give apps unlimited power. They only provide access that they were designed and allowed (by you) to have. So the next time an app, website, or service asks for permission to access your data, it’s worth pausing to think to yourself if it actually does need it. Ask “What are they asking for? What will this give them? Does this [app/website/service] need that access?” Remember, it’s a mix of convenience and security.

🗞️ ICYMI: TikTok and Microdrama

Last week, TikTok quietly launched a microdrama app called ‘PineDrama’. You can download it on Android or iOS. If you aren’t familiar with this type of entertainment, YouTubers Colin and Samir did an interview on How These 1-Minute Movies Are Making Billions. Here’s a list of 22 other apps if this is something you find interesting and would like to watch more.

In other drama news, how about The A.I. Start-Up Soap Opera Riveting Silicon Valley? Where employees left OpenAI to start Thinking Machines Lab, only to have drama rise and cause some to return.

Lastly, **X open sources its algorithm while facing a transparency fine and Grok controversies. This should help (for better or worse) show how the algorithm** filters out certain kinds of posts, including violent and spam posts, or changes the For You page to arguably show more/less of the creators you follow.

🗞️ ICYMI: OpenAI and Google

After expanding the ChatGPT Go Plan for $8/month worldwide, OpenAI also announced revenue figures. In the last 3 years, their revenue rose from $2B in 2023, $6B in 2024, and $20B+ in 2025. The computing power has followed closely, but they are expected to burn through $17B in 2026. The Economist calls this “one of the big bubble questions of 2026.” Not to mention, Musk Seeks Up to $134 Billion Damages From OpenAI.

To potentially help with some of their profit margins (or to at least not be so much in the red), you can read their **approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT. Put simply,** “In the coming weeks, we’re also planning to start testing ads in the U.S. for the free and Go tiers.” At least those 3 years made a difference in how Will Smith eats spaghetti.

Four days before OpenAI released their statement, A Google VP explains why ads make sense in AI search but not Gemini — yet. So if you are still using a free AI chatbot and don’t want ads, you may have to leave ChatGPT for Google Gemini (or something else mentioned in Weekly Wheaties #2526).

Google also released their From the CEO: What’s coming to YouTube in 2026. This includes a push for “every format on every screen,” customizable multiview, new YouTube TV Plans (which include sports, entertainment, and news plans), and combating spam, clickbait, and reducing the spread of low-quality, repetitive content (AI slop included).

😎 POTW: Movie Picks

Continuing with the movie theme this week, how about some picks to help you learn a bit about the entertainment industry?

• How do people get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

• How Philosophy Changed Movies

• Kids’ movies are turning the 2024 box office Inside Out

• What was the first movie to use motion capture?

• Which screenwriter has written the most movies?

📦 Featured Product

Have you ever tried to paint-match something? You take the item with you to your local hardware store, and sometimes it gets close, but other times, depending on the brand of paint, it’s just off. And you can tell…. Well ,I found this Nix Mini 3 to help with that. This handheld device can scan any item (if it’s a flat enough surface), and tell you the Pantone color - including the brand of paint. At least within a very close margin. The results can also show the digital RGB, HEX, and CMYK color values. This is a very neat tool to have if you are a designer of any sort, or like to paint (or paint-match) items. As a bonus, though, use my Referral Link to StackSocial.com, and after making a purchase, we’ll both receive a $10 credit. They also have the same Nix Mini 3 at a less expensive price than Amazon.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is Your LLM Just a Fancy Chef?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Verizon’s Network Outage
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Apple Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Quick Takes
😎 Pick of the Week: Movie Lists
📦 Featured Product: Logitech Master Mice

📝 Is Your LLM Just a Fancy Chef?

Last week, I dived a bit into the Machine Learning space. To break it down in order to compare it to Large Language Models (LLMs), and AI: Algorithms follow rules; Machine Learning learns patterns; and AI is creating something new based on tons of training of information.

The LLM is the backend of a chatbot - Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, to name a few. There are also many forms of LLMs based on the end goal of the company in question. This also depends on their access to information, the staff employed there, the type of coding, decisions on algorithms, and machine learning code built into the LLM itself (again, as mentioned in last week’s newsletter), and much, much more.

At a high level, an LLM is a system trained on enormous amounts of text and information. This helps it to recognize patterns in language. It is not a “computer” or “entity” that is all-knowing, as it predicts what words or information are most likely to come next based on everything it has seen before. Think of it as an extremely advanced version of autocomplete — one that works at the sentence and paragraph level.

Except here’s the kicker many people forget — the information it does in fact give as its “answer” is very much biased. It can be biased based on the user asking the question, or just based on simple demographics of where the user is located. It can even be based on previous conversations other users have had with the LLM around the same topic. The more you use “your” chatbot, the more it will know you, and the more the responses and answers will sound like you. Of course, that is also based on whether you decide to give your chatbot a personality.

With this in mind, remember the answers given by an LLM can also be factually incorrect. This includes many of the AI Overviews popping up in our search results. LLMs do not look things up like a librarian or search engine would, they are simply creating a response based on their training - which also has a cutoff date. Yes, some models are allowed to use search engines to have more recent information, but they cannot always dictate fact from fiction, as they are only looking at patterns. If you want more up-to-date and/or factual information, make sure to check out my post on **Mastering the Art of Speaking Google.**

For further context (and a little bit of fun), let’s compare LLMs to chefs. We could argue that a recipe is comparable to an algorithm, and machine learning would be the chef in question going through training (cooking a lot of various dishes, testing things out, learning what things taste like, etc).

Now, let’s consider the chef who wants to cook a meal that doesn’t have a recipe or hasn’t been cooked before. All past experiences help the chef decide what spices to add, how to cook the items in question, what works well together, and more. Each of these steps and decisions the chef makes all play into how the final dish comes together. And if my watching of Master Chef has taught me anything — giving the same recipe and items to a group of 10 or more professional chefs would lead to 10 or more completely different final products.

In comparison, having the various companies with LLMs (Copilot, Gemini, etc), would show how asking each one gives different results - even with the same exact prompt. Each [ingredient, spice, type of cooking, etc] represents the various tones, style, training data, algorithms, and every other piece of an LLM’s unique characteristics. They are not deciding what the [correct] response is, only what is best for their model. Just like a chef can’t dictate what the [correct] dish is, only what is best for their style, training, and personal preferences.

If you want to dive deeper into the world of LLMs, there are tons of resources. For starters, check out this short YouTube video diving into the math of Large Language Models from scratch. An entire online course at Stanford, CME 295, explores the world of Transformers and LLMs. Lastly, Simon Wilson’s blog shares on 2025: The year in LLMs.

Remember that LLMs aren’t trying to cook the “correct” answer, they’re cooking their answer specific to you. And just like chefs, their results depend on everything put into the model - including your past conversations. As you use LLMs more often moving forward, keep in mind how your prompting and its creation all play into the answer you receive.

🗞️ ICYMI: Verizon’s Network Outage

On Wednesday, January 14th, the Verizon Wireless mobile network went down for around 9 hours on the East Coast of the US. Other networks (even those that piggyback on Verizon’s towers) didn’t report any outages - at least at the same scale. Until more information is released, if anytime soon anyways, we can only speculate. There are some in the cybersecurity space noting this looks like it was a possible attack on the routing equipment (similar to a DDoS attack). As an individual, this shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Verizon also says it’ll credit customers $20 after its service outage. Here’s how to claim it.

Things that are out of the control of major companies like this happen all the time. The larger the company, the more it is open to attacks. We’ve also seen many of these networks go down during natural disasters or any place a large group is gathered (sporting events and concerts, for example). I would not encourage you to switch providers for one-off events like this, only if you have had consistent issues or a lack of a great connection at your home or office.

🗞️ ICYMI: Apple Updates

In a Joint statement from Google and Apple, Apple picks Google’s Gemini to run AI-powered Siri coming this year. This comes after over a year of the incoming Apple Intelligence and a “smarter Siri” that customers have been waiting for. I’d imagine we’ll hear more about this at Apple’s WWDC this summer, but there is still a bit of speculation as to what this looks like in the long term. 9to5Mac reports that there will be no Google branding on Siri, and that “Apple’s AI Deal With Google Is Temporary and Buys It Time.” For some more inside information, you can read Ming Chi Kuo’s quick take on the Apple–Google AI partnership.

Apple also introduced Apple Creator Studio, an inspiring collection of the most powerful creative apps. This combines Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, Freeform, and some AI stock (photo and videos) for $12.99/month or $129/year. College students and educators can subscribe for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year from the Pro Apps Bundle for Education.

🗞️ ICYMI: Quick Takes

• 2026 May Be the Year of the Mega I.P.O. “If SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic go public, they will unleash gushers of cash for Silicon Valley and Wall Street.”

• Elon Musk surprises everyone: SpaceX will attempt to reach Mars by the end of 2026.

• Erdos Math Problem #397 was solved by ChatGPT 5.2 and submitted and accepted by Terence Tao. You can see a more detailed response and other open problems here.

• Gmail users urged to switch off these two main features over privacy concerns.

• OpenAI is reportedly asking contractors to upload real work from past jobs.

• Tesla ends Full Self-Driving purchases, shifts to subscription-only.

😎 POTW: Movie Lists

Wondering where your favorite movie, actor, or skill stacks up against the rest? Check out some of these lists in the movie space:

• 16 of the Best Movies and Documentaries About Dinosaurs

• 53 Best Tom Hanks Movies, Ranked

• Every Will Ferrell Movie, Ranked

• Five most amazing real-life skills actors learned for movies

• The 10 most unintentionally hilarious movie scenes

• The 100 best sci-fi movies of all time

• Who’s the best movie fighter ever?

📦 Featured Product

In the past, I’ve shared a few inexpensive wireless mice. With the most popular being the Logitech M705. However, if you want to spend a bit more and have a more comfortable experience with a few extra perks, Logitech has you covered at 3 other levels. Up first is the MX Master 2S. The scrolling is updated a bit from the M705, but it’s much more ergonomic and has a rechargeable battery. Moving up is the MX Master 3S. It adds higher quality movement, works on glass, and has a much quieter click. The top of the line MX Master 4 is the most ergonomic and performance-based mouse. Most of them are offered in a wireless or wired option and can be used on Mac or PC.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: How Is Machine Learning Different from AI and Algorithms?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: CES
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: ryan3000
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Sports, Games, and Hobbies
📦 Featured Product: Belkin Stage Powergrip

📝 How Is Machine Learning Different from AI and Algorithms?

As often as I talk about AI, there are two other areas of this space that need discussing that may help show the bigger picture. A common term in this space is LLMs (or Large Language Models), but I would first like to discuss another term - Machine Learning.

Machine Learning has been around for much longer, and was a term used by the larger tech companies (e.g., Apple and Google) for years, but the term was a bit too broad for consumers to really understand it as the need wasn’t there.

As AI has become more mainstream and consumer-friendly, I think it will be helpful to understand Machine Learning. In the past, I’ve briefly discussed how Google works by way of the democratic rule. In short, the more people who search and ultimately visit a specific website from their search result last, the more that site moves up the results in popularity. The next time someone in that similar demographic area searches the same term, the site’s value from the first person causes it to rise for the next. And so on…

This is also how Google and other search engines know if you’re looking for an apple fruit or the Apple company when typing in the word “apple.” Your previous search history helps here, too, along with other demographics your account and computer tell about you.

Another term in the same concept you have heard of is an Algorithm. An algorithm is a very specific set of rules that the computer must follow. In the search example, every time a site is visited, it may get another tally mark. And the algorithm adds up the tally marks from others, looks at other information, combines those tally marks, and boom - here’s your search results!

What’s actually happening with Machine Learning is the computers are ‘allowed’ to create their own rules. Rather than a programmer giving computers a set of rules (like an algorithm), they are given tons of examples and data. This allows them to spot patterns and help them make predictions. Just like humans learn better from practice, a computer can, too.

Spam filters work similarly. They look at the email name, address, titles, and what’s included in the body of the email - and especially things in the email humans can’t see (the “code” of the email). They are also looking at where the emails are sent from, and how many other people may receive similar emails from that same person/area/context/etc. However, that isn’t the whole story. At least from the consumer side of things.

There are literally hundreds of billions of emails sent every day. And there is no one main “spam filter” company. Microsoft’s Outlook filters work differently from Google’s Gmail filters, and you may not like it or believe me, but the paid versions are different than the free versions. Even the paid personal plans are different from the paid enterprise plans. But why does that matter?

Essentially, a spam filter is not a “percentage” out of 100 on how well it works. No spam filter will be 100% accurate. Instead, these spam filters (and machine learning by context here) typically may have a scale appropriated to it. Instead, what is happening is these machines are prioritizing a few different things. In the email spam filter case, it may be strictness versus leniency, safety and security, the risk of blocking legitimate messages, and the overall user experience.

All of these things combined allow the system to either let more emails in (perhaps also allowing more spam in accidentally), or keep as much out as possible (possibly blocking real emails by accident). As the machine learns, it gets better.

Some places you may already be using Machine Learning include: recommendations from your streaming entertainment platforms, search results, and navigation apps, among others.

There is technically a lot of math happening on the backend with Machine Learning, but it’s not quite as much as AI. Machine Learning is also not creating something new like AI, and it may sometimes come across as blatantly wrong due to the differences in results from a Machine Learning computer versus how an algorithm works - the same way two navigation apps may show different paths to the same location, or the same search term has completely different results from Bing to Google. Patterns (like Machine Learning use) do not always follow rules, especially when humans are involved in regard to social context.

Knowing when or why one is used over the other can be pretty obvious. Algorithms follow rules. Machine Learning learns patterns. A basic example is to create a rule (algorithm) in our email to block any incoming email with “You win” in the subject line as spam. However, letting Machine Learning take over may block incoming emails with “You’ve won” and also be marked as spam. As you can see, though, neither is perfect.

So when technology gets something wrong, the real question isn’t “Why did it fail?” It’s, “Was it following rules, or learning patterns?”

🗞️ ICYMI: CES

The 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held last week, announcing a ton of futuristic and AI-enabled products. You can check out CNET’s post on Everything Announced From Best of Show to AI Toys and Dancing Robots, The Verge’s video recap of The Best of CES, or TechCrunch’s most bizarre tech announced so far at CES 2026.

To highlight a few cool new things coming this year:

Lego announced the Lego Smart Play System. This is composed of Bricks, Tags, and Minifigures. A single 2x4 brick houses Bluetooth, an NFC tag, a microphone, a speaker, lights, and more. If you are in the Lego space, check out Rebrickable and check out possible alternate builds for the sets you already own.

Clicks released new MagSafe Keyboards and the Communicator, a text-first smartphone that runs Android. Check them out on YouTube!

Pickle announced their Pickle OS and Glasses and dubbed them “The Era of Soul Computing.” These are some fun new smart glasses with a fun name to match. Coming later this year.

🗞️ ICYMI: ryan3000

One of your favorite family-friendly YouTubers, Ryan Trahan, started a new channel - ryan3000 - where he vouches to spend 20 minutes a day in his Minecraft world, every day in 2026, in hopes of ending the year with the same number of digital chickens as he has subscribers. He’s had his first recording issue over the weekend while trying to record on the road, but I have hope. He’s almost at 100,000 subscribers, so if you’re a fan, go subscribe!

🗞️ ICYMI: Headlines

AI

• Meta Buys AI Startup Manus for More Than $2 Billion

• OpenAI Is Taking On Apple’s App Store. It’s Got a Long Way to Go

• OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health to connect user medical records, wellness apps

• xAI raises $20 billion to expand Grok AI models and enterprise tools

Streaming

• Warner Bros. sticks with Netflix merger, calls Paramount’s $108B bid “illusory”

• Netflix Reportedly Wants to Keep Movies in Theaters for Just 17 Days After It Buys Warner Bros

• How Did TVs Get So Cheap?

😎 POTW: Sports, Games, and Hobbies

Looking to start the new year enjoying a new sport or hobby? You could start by browsing reddit, find a game from this list on How To Win Classic Family Board Games, Go for the Unclaimed Titles of a few Guinness World Records, or check out The 100 Best Sports Moments of the Quarter Century.

If you want to learn Chess, I suggest either Chess.com or Chessfish.io. Don’t forget your Magnetic Chess Board, or the Rolls Royce Chess Set if you have some leftover Christmas money.

Another favorite of our family is Sequence, but may I suggest the Jax Giant Sequence Board Game.

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In this newsletter:

📝 Post: How Far Has AI Really Come?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tesla and the Cybercab
😎 Pick of the Week: Leadership Bytes
📦 Featured Product: Nex Playground

📝 How Far Has AI Really Come?

With all the advancements we’ve seen in AI over the last few years, the question of “What Can AI Really Do?” still has some credence. Things change, and people can be very creative. Some things are obviously more applicable to a business versus things that are done for fun, so comparing the different ways AI has integrated into our lives across the web and work can look different year over year.

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, “AI won’t replace anyone. Someone using AI will replace someone who isn’t.” In general, I make that statement as it’s a quick counterargument. However, in reality, there will be some jobs that will no longer be here. There is a really good article, The Vanishing Professions: A Catalogue of Jobs That No Longer Make Sense, that shares, “One day a profession is woven into the texture of daily life—its gestures familiar, its presence assumed—the next, it is reduced to an anecdote recited with faint amusement to someone too young to understand why such work was ever necessary.“

But many of the jobs that ‘vanished’ in the article did so to make way for new jobs. Just to point out one of them - the movie projectionist - they have and will be replaced with other jobs in the same field. This could include digital cinema technicians, programmers, digital content specialists, and more. As this industry has dwindled, we’ve even seen something else take its place that arguably requires even more workers - streaming platform jobs.

Another area of work that AI will have trouble replacing is those types of roles that require Soft Skills and emotional intelligence. CEOs across Fortune 100 companies argue that individuals who are adaptable, practice critical thinking, and have a willingness to learn will have plenty of job opportunities.

Regardless of the type of work, Gallup’s yearly Workplace Survey reported that AI Use at Work Continues to Rise. While this appears to be a slower increase, the number of organizations using AI, along with the individual frequency of use, is still climbing. Nearly half of those surveyed said their organizations have not adopted or integrated AI technology or tools to improve organizational practices. Another 23% still didn’t know.

We have a little insight into what this AI use at work looks like through a report released by Microsoft: What people do with Copilot. The use was very dependent on context, time of day/year, and device in use. If on a desktop, topics like work (productivity and programming) and career were discussed - typically during working hours. Whereas on mobile, they focused on personal (health and fitness) and reflective topics, with advice - after hours and on weekends.

As mentioned, there are still some cool things AI can do that humans are either incapable of doing or limited in their ability to do, based on their time and overall bandwidth. We’ve seen robots (with the help of AI) do some crazy things. You may have missed the T-REX wheel-legged robot, the Tesla Optiumus Robot does Kung Fu, or popular YouTuber WhistlinDiesel shows what not to do with a robot. Another YouTuber, MKBHD, shares the current Problem with Humanoid Robots.

In the audio world, AI has been known to cause issues with possible fakes (even video, for that matter). That said, one of the largest players in this space, ElevenLabs, now offers Iconic Voices that have been licensed for use in projects. That doesn’t mean there aren’t larger issues at play. The Podcast industry and the Music Industry may both have something to say about AI…

Moving on to App Development - not only have apps in general made a lot of headway with the use of AI, so have websites and coding for the backend of many systems. I’ve discussed in the In Case You Missed It parts of this newsletter multiple times about how Meta, Amazon, and other larger companies are starting to implement AI for their codebases.

The term vibecoding” was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2025 and brought about many tools to assist app development, in addition to the AI chatbots (Base 44, Lovable, and Glide - see the POTW below for more). Individuals and companies alike have vibecoded their way into new products and focuses.

Some of these niche parts of AI use are also becoming more normalized. We’ve always used machine learning (more on this soon) in the world of weather, but Google DeepMind’s New AI Weatherman Tops World’s Most Reliable System.

Another area probably not really thought about too much would be in the area of sports betting, maybe even all forms of betting when big numbers are involved, but let’s stick with sports for now. AI can take tons of information and distill it very quickly and accurately. Think Moneyball, but exponentially faster, with more ways to view the data. I’d bet betting will continue to become popular because, as these companies use AI on the backend, the house will still come out on top.

Something you may not consider: AI Hackers Are Coming Dangerously Close to Beating Humans. We’ve seen how vulnerable networks can be in general, just this last year, with issues from Cloudflare and the like. That said, what humans are doing can be pretty scary. I highly encourage you to watch/listen to a famous hacker, Ryan Montgomery – Exposes Roblox, Minecraft, Discord & the Darkest Online Cult. At minimum, watch him Show the Most Insane Gadgets in His EDC.

Lastly, one of the more interesting things I’ve seen AI get involved with is digitizing scent and Teaching Computers to Smell. Essentially, it appears that they are utilizing AI to analyze scent signals using chemical sensors and techniques from spectrometry, thereby converting molecular data into digital information. Anything that can be converted into digital information (ones and zeroes) can then be used to modify or reproduce it. Some things they note it’s helping with include: fragrance creation, aiding in disease detection, and exploring the relationship between scent, memory, and emotions

What interesting things have you seen AI help with?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tesla and the Cybercab

We’ve been promised the utopia of robot vehicles for years now, and a lot of bets are on these companies ramping up in 2026. For starters, Tesla confirms the start of Cybercab production. Tomas, with Uncharter Territories, discusses The Race between Waymo, Cybercab, and Uber and lays out much of what is happening in this space. A few things to note include that the prices of self-driving Waymos and Teslas are still a bit higher than those of Uber or Lyft, so plan to see the pricing battle follow suit as more self-driving vehicles come online.

Another concern for passengers always revolves around safety. Especially as the power goes out. But there are two areas to consider: hardware and software. Specifically to Tesla, we haven’t seen the NHTSA report for the Cybercab, but even their smallest vehicle, the Model 3, crushes NHTSA’s crash testing with a 5-star rating. On the software side, updates are frequent, with the most recent update allowing FSD to successfully complete a full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions. These systems will only get better as they are tested and learn from mistakes.

😎 POTW: Leadership Bytes

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on a new project, Leadership Bytes. It’s a website/web-app (more on this in the coming weeks) that can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. The goal is to utilize technology (when applicable) to help leaders be better leaders. There are three core objectives the app helps Leaders work on: Building Relationships, Challenging Their Skillset, and Leveraging Technology. Each Sunday, the app is updated with curated Conversation Starters to improve 1-on-1s and a weekly Leadership Challenge to strengthen skills with and without the use of technology. There is also an ever-growing list of recommended tools and software to streamline your workflow, and byte-sized posts sharing a bit on a given category of software. If you are a leader in your organization, I challenge you to check it out. If not, I would really appreciate you sharing with your supervisor or others you know who wish to better their leadership skills!

From a mobile device, tablet, or desktop, visit: https://leadershipbytes.co/

📦 Featured Product

If you were in the gaming space ~20 years ago, you may remember the buzz surrounding the first-of-its-kind Nintendo Wii. There have been some updates, but this was one of the first systems (at least at scale and with a following) to require movement from players for gameplay. However, it still required a controller.

A new system, the Nex Playground, only requires your body to play. You are the controller, and your hand and body movements allow you to play the various types of games. I will admit it does lean more kid-friendly (4-10 years). However, there are some ‘games’ that have an older demographic - Boxing, Zumba, and other fitness games. What appear to be the most popular games are: Bluey, Starri (a new type of Guitar Hero-style game), and the sports games (Baseball, Tennis, Bowling).

The console comes with a few built-in games, but is best experienced with the Play Pass Bundle. Rather than buying individual games, the bundle includes all 30+ games and is updated frequently. Their blog will list any updated games coming to the system.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are You Ready for Some Technology Hot Takes?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Google Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: 2025 Picks
📦 Featured Product: Paperwallet

📝 Are You Ready for Some Technology Hot Takes?

For a little bit of fun for the last post of the year, I asked some of you what are your (or what you think are my) technology hot takes. I also did somewhat of a consensus of the tech community at large, along with some help from ChatGPT, to get some ideas. So, here are a few topics with my potentially hot takes!

AI

• AI is not going anywhere. There will be many players jumping in, but there will only be a few big names that most should stick with (OpenAI, Gemini, Meta, etc). All of the others will only offer one-off, unique, and niche features.

• AI is going to be the new email. Everyone will eventually have to figure out how to use it. It will all be forced on professionals, regardless of your line of work. If you use a computer and have an email, you will have to learn about AI.

• I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. AI won’t replace anyone. Someone using AI will replace someone who isn’t.

Cable and Streaming

• Now what is done for is Cable. The streaming wars continue, and even as network conglomerates combine and start buying each other, the market will no longer view cable as a product. We want our content to be available when and wherever we are, on any device.

• Remember to subscribe and cancel as you want or need shows. For example, I’ve cancelled my ESPN subscription until next fall (or maybe the CWS).

Cryptocurrency

• Many people think it’s done for. Hard disagree here! As we move into a more digital world, cryptocurrency will continue to grow. The kicker here is that we won’t really see it front and center. It will start taking over the backend of most, if not all, monetary transactions (credit cards, homes, art work, anything with any type of receipt or proof of ownership).

• In the same way as AI, there will probably only be a few larger players of use (Bitcoin, Ethereum) for most transactions, but smaller, niche coins will start to limit their reach and stay specific to their role. Think “in-game currency” or store-specific gift cards.

Electric cars

• While some manufacturers have started to limit or close production of some EVs, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. This is a long burn, and it will take time for the market to adjust and the power grid to catch up. We’ve seen the EU water down their 2035 EV goals while Ford stops production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning.

• EV Trucks still need some work. Towing takes a lot of energy. But… if someone needs a truck around the city, there are plenty of Superchargers available that it still makes sense. Long hauls and even day trips pulling a trailer aren’t really there yet. I’m also not sure if they ever will be. Charging on the road is fairly quick compared to what most people think, and it’s only getting faster. However, towing would still require significantly more stops than a sedan, and time is of the essence with many deliveries.

Mobile Phones

• Windows Phone 10 OS is still one of the best layouts for mobile. The live tiles were ahead of the pack in regard to notifications and quick glances. In the same OS, Cortana was miles ahead of Siri and the Google Assistant at the time, and possibly even arguably still further along than they are now (if you discount the AI piece). Even to that - if Cortana was still developed and integrated with Copilot, I’d bet it would still be the best mobile assistant available today!

Privacy and Security

• A password manager is safer than your memory, and in many cases, even than resetting your password. There are many to choose from, but I personally use Bitwarden. Not using Two Factor Authentication is the biggest security hole behind using the same password.

• Using a service like Privacy.com to pay for your online purchases and subscriptions is much safer than using your credit card.

• The best way to stay private online is to stop posting anything and everything. If you want to keep the algorithm from learning you, quit interacting with everything. Sadly, that includes liking, commenting, or even sharing. And yes, most apps also know when you take a screenshot.

Personal Hot Takes

• Technology is becoming increasingly niche, and one-off products will continue to be developed. Think the Amazon Kindle and the newly announced Pebble Ring.

• Subscription services are here to stay. With the cost of data storage and hosting, one-time purchases are a thing of the past. Sad, but also a good thing - we will receive more and constant updates.

• Half of all IT issues would be solved if users (yes, you, and me) read the screen (and pop-ups) we’re presented with before moving forward and just clicking on things.

• Can 2026 be the year we stop sending Word and Excel files back and forth for updates and comments, and start using a proper Document/Project Management Tool?

What are some of your hot takes?

🗞️ ICYMI: Google Updates

Join the waitlist for Google CC, a Gmail Assistant That Emails You Every Morning. You know, in case you don’t want to learn to use AI. A pretty interesting feature, but I’m not sure why it needs to be an email rather than a button that, when clicked and “launched,” updates everything.

YouTube Playables allows creators to “create fun, bite-sized games in minutes and share them directly with your audience on YouTube.”

Google says it is ‘gradually rolling out’ the option to change your @gmail.com address. Take advantage of this and register your “firstname.lastname@gmail.com” if able!

For more, check out 60 of Google’s biggest AI announcements in 2025.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

When robot taxis get stuck, a secret army of humans comes to the rescue. Showing that AI (or Autonomous Vehicles in this case) can’t take over completely — yet.

OpenAI introduced group chats in ChatGPT to allow users to collaborate with others (and ChatGPT) in the same conversation. Start settling those debates with your AI before they invite theirs.

Disney Licenses Play Dates for Mickey Mouse, ChatGPT in $1B OpenAI Deal. Make sure you have Sora downloaded to take advantage of this when the content violations are removed. Alternatively, you may start seeing AI-generated videos on Disney+ in the future.

😎 POTW: 2025 Picks

To round out the year, how about some Picks from across the web:

• Apple announces winners of the 2025 App Store Awards

• Best New Restaurants in America, 2025

• Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Books 202

• Google Search Trends for 2025

• The 15 Best New Snacks Of 2025, Ranked Worst To Best

• The 50 greatest innovations of 2025

• The Coolest Fitness Gifts for 2025

• The Story Behind TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year Covers

• See stunning photos of animals and nature captured by AP photojournalists in 2025

📦 Featured Product

I received one of my Christmas presents early and have been using a Paperwallet for the past few weeks. I wanted to test it out before recommending it. I will always suggest some type of RFID wallet since credit card fraud has been escalating, and it’s so easy for someone to steal your card information by simply coming within a few inches of your wallet/purse. These come in multiple sizes (I like the smallest Micro size), and are made of Tyvek, making them waterproof and durable. They will wear over time, but are fairly inexpensive and come in multiple designs, some of which are limited edition.