In this newsletter:

📝 Post: What Is a Camera Sensor Actually Doing?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: What’s Your Song?
📦 Featured Product: Training Accessories

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In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Why Does Zooming In Sometimes Make Your Pictures Look Worse?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: PhotoCircle App
📦 Featured Product: Reusable Cameras

📝 Why Does Zooming In Sometimes Make Your Pictures Look Worse?

Last week, I talked about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and how those settings work together to create a picture. But there’s another camera control most of us use without giving it much thought: zoom. Most smart phones allow you to choose a zoom distance or use your fingers to pinch in on the screen to zoom in or out based on the type of picture you’re taking.

Except your phone might be doing a few different things to make that happen. If your phone has multiple camera lenses on the back, it is probably switching in between those based on how much zooming you do. It’s also combining a lot of computation with the other settings previously discussed based on how much light is now available, where the focus should be placed, and much more.

One other big caveat to this includes the specific differences in the lenses on those cameras. Again, as mentioned, those lenses have very specific dimensions and distances associated with them. If not, then why wouldn’t we just have one lens? Essentially, each lens has a measurement tied to it. Using the most recently released iPhone 18 Pro as an example, it has 3 different lenses that measure: 13 mm (ultra wide), 24 mm (main), and 100 mm (telephoto).

As you may have already guessed, the 24 mm main lens is the default lens that pops up when you first open the camera app. Zooming out, or pressing the .5 button, launches the ultra wide (or macro) lens for wider shots - essentially allowing more objects in the frame. Zooming in, or pressing the 4x button, launches the telephoto lens for more up close shots.

There is a kicker here… you may also see a 2x and 8x button. You may also have noticed even prior to this phone that you can physically zoom in and out with the pinch gesture at any distance. For example, 3x or 6x. Or even up to 40x! So what’s actually going on here? Well, with the 2x and 8x, the phone and lenses are doing some special “optical quality” adjustments to make sure these distances and zoom levels also look good. This helps mirror what traditional standalone cameras do when zooming - the glass elements physically move to allow the image to now appear closer or further away - essentially giving another level of zoom.

However, and this is a big however, all of the other distances are using a digital zoom. And with this, they are basically cropping a larger image, or digitally zooming in on a smaller image. All of the zoom levels you see on the screen do not represent a physical stop of the lens or a new lens, it’s just a digital representation of what the lenses and software are tricking into happening.

So what does this really mean when taking a picture you may ask? Well first, have you ever asked yourself, “Why Does Zooming In Sometimes Make Your Pictures Look Worse?”

The reason is mainly because of what we just discussed. The ‘zoom’ at the levels (or distances) not specific to a lens is ‘cropping’ your images. These usually have a 2x crop, too. What this means in reality is if you take an image at an unspecified lens distance, is the pixels that create the image are cut in half. So, in the Apple example - a picture taken with a 4x zoom lens may have 48 megapixels, but an image at 3x or 5x will only have 24 megapixels. In either case, the zoomed in or out image from the original 4x lens distance cuts the quality of the picture in half!

For most people, it’s not that big of a difference because the cameras have such great quality overall. But if you are zooming in on your pictures after the fact, those differences become quite clear pretty quickly.

So the next time you pinch to zoom, will you know whether your phone is using a different lens to get a better picture quality, or just making a smaller piece of the picture… bigger?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Amazon unveils new lineup of Alexa devices including redesigned Echo Show.

• Anthropic IPO filing reveals $80 billion net loss, spending spree

• Apple ‘Pro and tell’ event: Everything announced this week, including the M6 MacBook Pro and iMac, an OLED MacBook Pro With Touch Display, and the rollout of iOS 27.2. Apple also says it will replace iPhone Duo units showing screen problems.

• DoorDash to acquire Instacart for $17B

• Google Quietly Updates Privacy Policy to Let Gmail and Photos Data Feed Ads

• Greece passes social media ban for children under 15

• Microsoft offers buyouts to nearly 30% of workforce in ongoing AI shift

• New Airbnb rules ban hosts from making guests wash dishes, do laundry & other checkout chores

😎 POTW: PhotoCircle App

Have you ever attended an event with multiple people and tried to share pictures across devices, locations, and more? The PhotoCircle App allows you to create a private ‘circle’ to share pictures and videos in one centralized location. Members can be added through a shareable link, a scannable QR code, or via a direct invitation within the app. Use it at conferences, weddings, for families, social groups, school events, and much more. Download and start sharing on Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store, or via the Web.

📦 Featured Product

Keeping the camera theme going… perhaps you have a little nostalgia and want to carry a device around that only takes pictures. But isn’t expensive or bulky in comparison to traditional photography cameras. If so, check out the Kodak EKTAR H35. This is essentially a 35mm reusable updated version of the disposable cameras we’re all to familiar with. And just like disposable cameras, the film must be sent off for processing. It may not always beat your phone in quality, but it will be a bit more fun and bring some adventure to your travels. It comes in a few color options, is lightweight and pocketable, and has a built in flash. Another alternative is from the brand Long Weekend.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is Your Phone Making Too Many Camera Decisions for You?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Spooky, Strange, & Slightly Unhinged
📦 Featured Product: Paper Airplane RC Kit

📝 Is Your Phone Making Too Many Camera Decisions for You?

A few weeks ago, I talked about why newer phones can sometimes take worse pictures, along with a few camera apps like Halide and Moment that give you more control over the camera inside your phone. I mentioned the settings ISO and shutter speed but didn’t mention aperture. I also didn’t really dive into what any of those things actually do.

If you’ve ever used a Professional or “Manual” camera before, you may be familiar with these settings. You may have also used one of these cameras and instead just chose “Auto.” But in traditional photography (not videography - that’s a whole other set of settings), there are three main settings that determine how ‘good’ a picture is: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Collectively, these are referred to as the Exposure Triangle, because one can affect the other, and you can compensate for one setting with the others.

We’ll talk basics here, but popular photographers Tony and Chelsea Northrup have a great video called Aperture, Shutter Speed & ISO: The Exposure Triangle made EASY! that explains this visually if you want to dive a little deeper. Fortunately, the basics aren’t nearly as complicated as they sound.

First, we need to understand how a few parts of the camera work. Two main components include a sensor and lens (sometimes referred to as the glass). At a very basic level, the sensor is the digital version of camera film. Its surface is very sensitive to light, as it captures light in the form of pixels. Each sensor is measured in pixels, mostly in the millions - defined as “megapixels.” However, it is important to note that more pixels is not always related to a better quality picture.

The lens of the camera comes in many shapes and sizes allowing light to be collected and focused on the sensor. Photographers ‘zoom’ with the lens, changing the focus to see things close or far in various levels of sharpness. Most cameras have an autofocus component that make this much smoother of a process.

These two components are both either affected by, or affect, the three settings we’ve already alluded to: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

As a basic example, let’s start by comparing this to recording audio. Imagine you are sitting in a room with a microphone, talking to someone in the adjacent room. Opening the door in between the rooms is similar to aperture. Opening it all the way lets all the sound come through, whereas just a crack only lets a small amount come through. Shutter speed is equivalent to how long you leave the door open. And the ISO is your playback volume after recording.

The sound coming through the door is comparable to light for the camera’s sensor. Too much sound (volume in this case) can have a negative effect on the recording, as can too much light on a picture. This is comparable to the Aperture of the camera. A wider opening allows more light to come through but can also create blurriness. It’s measured in f-stops. For example, an f/1.8 is a wider opening than an f/8.

Recording too short of a conversation may only pick up one word, compared to a full sentence. Shutter speed help shows movement (or the lack of movement) in a picture by controlling how long the sensor records and collects light coming in from the lens. It is measured in seconds or fractions of a second, such as 1/1000 second, 1/30 second, or 2 seconds. A smaller number means a faster shutter speed, and a longer shutter speed helps show movement. You may have seen this in pictures of star trails in the sky or sporting events where the player or ball is blurred, but everything else is static. These are indications of a longer shutter speed.

With the playback volume, if the recording was too quiet and you try to boost the sound, you also hear a lot of background noise and ‘hissing’. The same happens to a picture if the ISO is incorrect because ISO adjusts how brightly the camera renders the light captured by the sensor. It is measured in a numbered rating with no units: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, or 3200. A lower ISO (100) works well in bright conditions, and a higher ISO (3200) helps “add” light to a picture in dark conditions. However, adding too much ISO will add digital artifacts and noise that generally appear grainy.

All three can help create a brighter picture, but each comes with a tradeoff.

Slow the shutter down and the camera collects more light, but now your image may become blurry because something moved while the camera was still capturing the picture. Aperture can help make the subject of the image in focus with a blurry background, but if you adjust it too much either way you’ll lose focus on the whole image. ISO needs to be adjusted to match the light available, which could also be affected by the aperture and shutter speed - and vice versa. In general, a lower ISO will provide a cleaner picture, but it could be too dark sometimes.

These three settings interact together to create the Exposure Triangle as mentioned, and now you know why and how changing one can affect the other. The question then becomes, how much control do you want over your picture versus allowing your phones to do the work for you?

In my previous camera post about apps like Halide and Moment, you can control these settings on your phones just like manual/professional cameras do with other settings. Smartphones traditionally handle these settings differently since they have to deal with physical space limitations (think sensor and lens size), but technology is changing all the time. Recently, Apple released a new physical aperture on the main camera of the iPhone 18 Pro. It can adjust between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0, and Apple allows you to manually choose those settings. Not to mention Samsung tried this back in 2018 with the Galaxy S9.

So the next time you pull your phone out to take a picture, remember how much is happening behind the scenes when you allow “auto” to take over. The phone is evaluating the available light, movement in the scene, and the subject of your image.

The next time you take a picture, will you trust Auto, or will you try make a few of those decisions yourself?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Anthropic pledged 5% of its shares to a new Public Benefit Fund, pending stockholder approval, with more possible as its value grows.

• Canva releases its first image generation model

• DeepSeek’s Downloadable Model Edged Out Opus 5 on a Coding Test, and Its Web Search Undercuts Rivals by 85%. However, it is also banned from US government use.

• Google Maps was upgraaded to include Gemini when navigating on CarPlay and Android Auto.

• Left alone with nothing to do, AI agents started playing - “According to the preprint, aimless exploration may teach strategies that carry over to real work.”

• Spotify confirms Family Plan crackdown, but calls it a ‘routine improvement’.

• Up to 70% of world’s websites at risk after AI discovers critical security flaw in PHP

• Waymo plans to quintuple its fleet.

😎 POTW: Spooky, Strange, & Slightly Unhinged

A perfectly strange mix for this year’s Halloween week when normal starts feeling a little overrated.

• 8 Best Spooky Season Airbnbs

• 10 Popular Couples Halloween Costumes That Never Go Out of Style

• 30 Color Snapshots Show What Halloween Looked Like in the 1960s and 1970s

• Bonhams : The Stanley Kubrick Collection

• ‘Not a Wedding Crasher’ website lets people pay to attend strangers’ weddings

• Lime Bike Jousting - For Love & Artistic Violence

📦 Featured Product

You’ve tried making paper airplanes before, right? Don’t you wish those planes could actually fly further than you can thrown them, though? If so, check out this Paper Airplane RC Kit that gives your creations two propellers and a controller! It’s made to crash and allow users to build multiple types of paper airplanes to see how they fly. It also comes with 25 foldable paper airplane models and notes ‘indoor friendly,’ but from the videos, I’d bet this is more of an outside toy.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Should You Leave Wi-Fi On All the Time?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Pick
📦 Featured Product: Ridge Tracker Card

📝 Should You Leave Wi-Fi On All the Time?

Last week I talked about the different wireless settings available on your phone: cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Hotspot, and Airplane Mode. While all of these allow your phone to communicate with something else, they typically work independently and use completely different technologies to do something [different].

Two of those settings seem to do almost the exact same thing, though. WiFi and cellular data both give your device access to the internet. However, they may offer different speeds or connection strengths, which is why your device switches back and forth between them without you even knowing. Technically, they are connecting to a different ISP (Internet Service Provider).

So, should you leave WiFi on all the time or not? Or why would it matter?

As mentioned, the internet signal from your WiFi is coming from your internet provider (e.g., Spectrum, Verizon Fios, Xfinity, AT&T Fiber). This can change if you’re home, at work, a coffee shop, or elsewhere. Chances are, if you are in one of these locations and see the WiFi signal in the menu bar of your phone, it’s using WiFi.

As soon as you leave that location, drive down the road, or walk far enough away from the are WiFi is able to reach, your phone will switch to cellular. This cellular connection is coming from your wireless carrier (e.g., ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile, MVNOs) and doesn’t change based on where you are. The strength and speed of cellular connections is based on the cellular towers’ location, availability (type of connections), and traffic in the area. Meaning, if they are further away, have older technology receivers, and/or a lot of other users in the area, the signal will be diminished.

In most cases, the transition between each never affects what is actually happening on your phone. However, you may notice buffering, paused audio or video, or even dropped calls. Those indications are pretty obvious when connections swap from WiFi to cellular or vice versa. Unfortunately, there’s no real easy way to keep that from happening. Think of it as swapping water bottles out at a fountain. Every once in a while, the switch is perfect, but most of the time there’s some water that is lost between the switches. And with the internet, it may be just enough to disconnect a phone call.

When your phone decides which connection to use, typically WiFi wins out. This is because - in general - WiFi will be more stable, consistent, and faster. Also, you wouldn’t be using bandwidth that eats away at your data plan, plus it may use less power - thereby saving you a bit of battery. However, this doesn’t always mean WiFi is faster, especially in that one corner of your home or building. Your WiFi will have better speeds and connections the closer you are to the router or access point (which may typically be closer to the middle of your home or building), and cellular signal may weaken as you get closer to the middle of a home or building. Both instances are due to walls, material, and other devices causing interference.

However, we have to remember there’s a difference between speed and bandwidth. Because I know some of you are thinking, “5G cellular networks claim up to 5 Gbps! And my home network isn’t anywhere near that!” While that may be true, make sure you refresh yourself with some Bandwidth Basics: How Much Speed Do You Really Need?

Speed is dictated by a few other things than we can’t always control. And bandwidth dictates how many users or devices can use that particular connection. You may have had full cellular signal and couldn’t send a text. On the other hand, you may have had full WiFi signal and receive an error on your social media app. Both instances may be different issues. One could be caused by other traffic, and one could be caused by interference.

When we look at bandwidth in regard to numbers, you may pay for a 500 Mbps home internet plan, but your phone doesn’t need, or use, that much. You’d be sharing the rest with your other devices. A cellular network has to share bandwidth with other users in your area in a similar way. The bars on WiFi and cellular signal don’t show the current available speed, either. They only show connection. And as we’ve just discussed, connections can be misleading, too.

Which brings us back to the question: Should you leave Wi-Fi on all the time?

The short answer is, probably. But it’s important to understand why, and what’s happening. Ultimately, if you have a full WiFi signal, but no internet, you can now figure out why. And if cellular doesn’t work either, that’s a good indication your phone may have a bigger issue (a simple restart may help here, too). However, if you’re not getting great WiFi signal is the same place time and time again, that helps dictate signal loss or degradation due to walls, materials, or other devices causing wireless collisions so to speak.

Another benefit of leaving WiFi on was mentioned in the last post, too. It can help more accurately pinpoint your GPS location. For most of us, it may just be easier to leave WiFi on and let our phone do their job.

Lastly, if you do leave WiFi enabled all the time, make sure you change the setting (device dependent) that does NOT connect to public networks automatically. This is a security measure to help keep your data from being compromised over unprotected networks. Your phone’s setting may say something like, “Ask to join networks” - make sure to choose “Notify” or “Yes.”

So, the next time your internet stops working, will you know whether the problem is your WiFi, cellular, or something in between?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

New Products and Tools

• Amazon’s Bee launches two new personal AI devices, starting at $75

• Apple calls iPhone Duo pre-order demand ‘extraordinary’ as shipping dates slip. Also, see Everything they launched at their “Welcome Home” event.

• Fitbit Edge May Be the Sweet Spot for Smartwatch Noncommittals

• Meta unveils Muse Spark Open, Muse Wonder, and Wonder Full for AI agents

• Tesla’s New Roadster Takes Flight After Nearly a Decade of Delays

Software and Security Updates

• Google’s Universal Cart shopping tool launches in the US.

• Microsoft October 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 1,411 flaws, 3 zero-days

• New Android protections to help keep you safe from mobile scams

😎 POTW: Weather Picks

Earlier this year, I may a post about Are You Using the Wrong Weather App? sharing a lot of weather apps available. And although hurricane season is almost over, many of the tracking tools for hurricanes are also useful for forecasting and precipitation in general. Here are 3 websites and an app that help with the tracking. The websites work best on a desktop, or at minimum a larger screen.

• College of DuPage: Satellite and Radar

• Google Weather Lab

• Max Tracker on Android and iOS

• Tropical Tidbits

📦 Featured Product

I’ve shared something similar in the past with Apple and Android tracking devices. However, Ridge recently released the Ridge Tracker Card that includes a few updates from the older models in credit card form. It works with the Apple Find My or Google Find Hub network, it has wireless charging rather than the coin cell-type batteries of past versions, it’s water resistant, and still has a speaker to help with alerts.

An extra Amazon tip this week:

What to see what Amazon thinks about your personality and shopping habits? On your mobile device, click: Account > Shopping Preferences > About You. Here, you can remove anything that is no longer relevant, or add topics or items that fit your preferences.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: What Do All Those Wireless Settings on Your Phone Actually Do?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: ArtCraft
📦 Featured Product: AeroBand Smart Guitar

📝 What Do All Those Wireless Settings on Your Phone Actually Do?

Whether you’re on an Android or Apple mobile phone, they each share similarities in regards to how they connect to the rest of the world. And both have a control center of sorts that is customizable to include buttons and adjustments to one of the many settings available. Just to make sure we’re all starting on the same page, these settings can include:

• Cellular

• WiFi

• Hotspot

• Bluetooth

• GPS (or location services)

• Airplane Mode

For the most part, many of us probably leave these settings alone until we actually need them to do something. Essentially, each of these settings allow us to connect or disconnect our phone to something else. Once connected, our phone probably automatically reconnects as necessary - 5G, our home network, headphones, vehicles, speakers, etc. The kicker here, is every setting functions in a different way, using a different type of technology, each with their own pros and cons - or requirements, for the lack of a better word.

The easiest one to start with is the one our phones are known for - Cellular. This is the connections between your phone and your wireless carries (ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile, or even an MVNO). There are multiple types of cellular connections you may have seen over the years: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. And yes, 6G is planned to come around 2030. Before you ask, the “G” stands for “Generation” - noting the next leap in techonology for cellular networks. Essnetially, each generation adds features (e.g., text, data), becomes much faster, and may even change the connection type.

Today, cellular connections allow your phone to make calls, send texts, and connect to the internet when you are ‘out and about.’ But cellular connections (satellites and/or towers) aren’t everywhere, nor do they work well with certain types of buildings (e.g., heavy concrete, metal, underground, high rises). In order to connect here, we need another connection type — WiFi.

WiFi is short for Wireless Fidelity, and is another type of technology that allows access to the internet. In order to connect to WiFi, the home or business in question must have a router and an access point. These have also undergone many generational changes over the years, but they aren’t as widely seen from a user standpoint, and this is a much deeper conversation (and possible post on its own). Check out this older post on Mastering Your WiFi: Tips and Tricks for a Faster, Safer Connection.

There is an important distinction between WiFi and Internet, though. You can be connected TO a WiFi connection but not have internet access. Your ISP could be down, for example. However, you cannot be connected TO the internet without going through a WiFi connection (unless you’re using cellular data).

Another type of “WiFi” that many people have access to is known as a Hotspot. This is a setting on mobile phones (and some tablets) that allow your phone to use its cellular signal and act as a router and wireless access point to “give off” WiFi for other devices in its proximity. Maybe you allow your kids to connect their tablet to your phone going down the road, or connect to your laptop when the hotel’s WiFi isn’t working properly.

Moving away from internet connections, we now have Bluetooth and GPS.

Bluetooth is (generally) a one-to-one connection that allows a device (your phone) to connect to another device (e.g., headphones, keyboards, vehicles). None of these connections involve or need the internet. Bluetooth works anytime you are within the physical limitations of the device in question. This is roughly 30ft if there are disruptions (walls or other connections) in the way, but can be as far as 100ft if there is a true line of sight from device to device. I recently talked about AirDrop and QuickShare - these connections use Bluetooth mixed with WiFi.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System allows your phone to communicate with satellites to let you see where your phone is physically located on a map. It doesn’t use or depend on a cellular or internet connection, however, it *may use cellular connections, Bluetooth, or WiFI for more accurate tracking, which are not required. To be clear, the satellites aren’t tracking your phone, they are broadcasting information and your phone is ‘listening.’ But its still not using the internet! There is a kicker here though. Maps need internet access to be able to show where you are - unless you have the map downloaded for offline use. A tip I’ve shared before in How to Travel Smart with Tech.

All of this finally brings us to Airplane Mode. This setting is appropriately named because the FAA restricts cellular connections when airborne. There’s a long story here, but essentially it could cause interference and miscommunication because line of site with cell towers would allow a mobile phone to connect to multiple towers at one time (because they share frequencies). Airplane mode simply disables your cellular connection.

Since the connection types are different, when on a plane in Airplane mode, you can independently turn on Bluetooth, WiFi, or GPS. As mentioned, each work without a cellular connection. Many times, the planes offer their own WiFi. You can connect to your headphones via Bluetooth. And you can use GPS to follow the flights route.

So the next time one of these connections stops working, will you know which one you actually need to fix?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

AI

• Claude Can Now Build the Dashboard and the Presentation Introducing Claude Dashboards and Claude Motion

• Google’s AI note-taking app transcribes your meetings completely offline

• LibreOffice says ‘no AI’ is now a software feature

• OpenAI’s New ChatGPT Builds Mini-Apps Right Inside Your Chat. In other news, they Watermark text output in response to EU text provenance rules while also Releasing Findings on 377 Math Problems.

• Trump announces members of ‘Super Intelligence Force’ to coordinate AI policy

Internet and Devices

• Amazon unveils new Alexa tablets with Alexa+ and Google Play Store access while also building their 1,000th satellite, will launch space internet service by end of year. Their competitor, SpaceX, Makes Big Play to Become a Mobile Wireless Carrier.

Streaming

• Disney+ Will Stream 2027 Super Bowl, alongside ESPN and ABC

• Paramount-Warners Mega Deal Closes Creating Skydance Hollywood Giant

• Xbox Expands Movie, TV Ambitions With New Division

😎 POTW: ArtCraft - Controllable AI for Artist

Late last week, a company by the name of ArtCraft released 7 apps focused on image editing, vector illustration, video, photography, PDFs, motion graphics and page layout. Famously, these open-source creative tools were built with the assistance of AI, built in a popular programming language called Rust, and completely free to use. They are making an obvious clone of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of apps, and have taken the web and social media by storm. They do offer subscriptions to help “accelerate their development,” but all apps can be used for free.

📦 Featured Product

I always joke that the only instrument I play is Guitar Hero. I played a lot in my high school and college years and recently borrowed an older Nintendo Wii with the guitar from a friend of mine and still enjoy it! There’s always been talk about a studio releasing a new version, but nothing is set in stone yet. However, I recently ran across the Aeroband Smart Guitar that actually functions as a real guitar. Read: not a toy. At least, not designed as a toy. It disassembles for travel, comes with silicone strings, has 12 tones and 25 pitches options, has a built-in speaker and a headphone jack. The 10 hour battery life allows lets you play whenever and wherever!

[insert picture]

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: What Should You Use After Microsoft Publisher Goes Away?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Worth the Detour
📦 Featured Product: Advent Calendars

📝 What Should You Use After Microsoft Publisher Goes Away?

Perhaps an apologies is due for the lateness of this post. To be fair, Microsoft publisher isn’t something I use on a normal basis. However, recently, I’ve heard from a few of you that you’re not sure what to do once support is no longer offered from this product and looking for alternatives. So here you go!

For others who may not be aware, Microsoft publisher is a software that has been around years, allowing users to create flyers, bulletins, and more. It is a bit outdated as a product and will be discontinued this month as of writing. But don’t think just because you don’t use it now that you wouldn’t use one of the pieces of software I’ll mention below. A few of them may could even replace a photo editing tool you use.

The good news is you have plenty of alternative options which I will talk about. Let’s start with the first big question though - Can I still access my file files once a software is no longer supported? In short, yes you can. There are a few different programs that will let you open a .PUB file, including even Microsoft options. However, there are a few third-party options that might even be better, and there’s a list of free and alternate software that you may even prefer after using them, too. There may be a learning curve and you’ll have to get familiar with the software, but I promise there’s something you can use that will either be easier to use or offer more functionality for you.

If your dead set on using Microsoft Office (and Publisher), you can still buy the 2021 version relatively inexpensively. It will still work for a while, but at some point I can almost guarantee you the software will no longer work or at least work as intended. Not to mention, there will be security fails, and bugs as people find the issues in the code since Microsoft is no longer supporting it and patching it.

The site in question is called Stack Social. I’ve used it for years, and it is safe, secure, and legitimate. If you use my referral code, you will earn each of us $10 in credit after your first purchase. After creating an account, simply search for “Microsoft Office 2021” or use this link to go directly to it. You can purchase a single license for $30 for Mac or PC.

Side note: I mentioned App Sumo in a YouTube video a few years ago as a SaaS marketplace. Stack Social is a similar website, but they also sell hardware and more first party softwares. I also mentioned Stack Social specifically in my post How to Find Alternative Software for Personal or Business Use.

Also, remember - it’s not too late to ‘keep’ your Publisher files. You can simply save all of your files in a PDF format before fully switching softwares. If you have Adobe Acrobat, you could edit them there, but that would probably not let you have as much control as you would like or are familiar with.

The other software’s that will be suggested are essentially suggested based on how much control or design you would like to have. The most basic option is potentially something you already have access to if you were using Publisher. That being Microsoft Word. A quick trick to help using Word from publisher is to use ChatGPT or another LLM. Upload the previously saved PDF of your Publisher file, and ask the chatbot to convert it to a Word doc. It doesn’t always get it 100% perfect but it’s a good place to start and can do the heavy lifting. If you have a lot of Publisher files, Microsoft provides a PowerShell method for bulk-converting.

Another Microsoft option you may not consider is PowerPoint. We don’t typically think about PowerPoint as a program to make handouts and flyers, but if you change the aspect ratio of the presentation, it’s basically the same thing. Any presentation can be “printed” in full page slides, too - thereby giving you a powerful software you probably already know how to use. A pro tip here: there are tons of templates already available for Word and PowerPoint online, and as mentioned - LLMs can even help here, too!

The next option up is probably the most suggested alternative software that would be the least disruptive but also offer more properties and features - Canva. While it can function as a basic replacement for Publisher, there’s another advantage here. Canva can take the same design and quickly turn it into an Instagram post, presentation, digital sign, or something else entirely.

They also offer another piece of software called Affinity. This is actually a great alternative and the most direct copy of Publisher. It also has the other benefit of functioning as a photo editing platform. For either of these softwares, if you are a nonprofit or in the education space, you can also sign up for a free or discounted account.

One of the more advanced versions of Publisher would be through Adobe InDesign. This will give you way more control and is highly suggested if you’re using a multi page document and/or need more features not otherwise offered. Adobe products (and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite) would be one of the more pricier options and would require a monthly subscription, but they are the industry standard.

Then, we move into the Free and/or Open Sourced options available. I am familiar with these products, but have not used them. However, they always have positive reviews when researching. The two most popular are Scribus and Libre Office.

Other alternatives are in the open space world and include Scribus and LibreOffice. I’m not as familiar with these but a lot of people or online and suggest them and use them regularly.

Lastly, if you’re not sure if you have any publisher files on your computer, or you want to just double check - a simple search on your computer with “.PUB“ should surface any of these files. Then, you can open the file to see if you have Publisher installed or not, too. Assuming they open properly, now’s the time to save as a .PDF for future use!

Ultimately, there’s no single replacement for Publisher I can recommend for everyone. It depends on what you used it for and what you plan to do in the future. If Word and PowerPoint are sufficicnet and you already have access to those - roll with it! If not, try Canva or Affinity. If you need more professional tools - Adobe InDesign. And if you want something with more features but completely free and open source, check out Scribus or LibreOffice.

But whatever you do, at least backup your .PUB documents today!

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• OpenAI launches Dots, its Muse competitor, then Pauses Training Most Capable Models After Sandbox Escape

• DoorDash launches an AI agent you can text to order food

• Still running iOS 26? Update your iPhones, iPads, and Macs for this urgent security fix

• ID verification giant IDScan confirms data breach with more than 150 million driver’s licenses stolen, but on the other hand, Your car and its mobile app are probably handing over all kinds of data to tech companies, too!

• Amazon is launching colorful new Kindles — and a case with physical page-turn buttons

• Sony brings AI graphics upscaling to the regular PS5

• Meta’s VR Glasses Are Exactly What the Apple Vision Pro Should Have Been

• “The refrigerator is dead”: Samsung’s AI fridges shut down after update, causes outrage

• Starlink ‘Community Site’ Program Teases Hourly, Weekly Internet Passes

😎 POTW: Worth the Detour

These are the kinds of things that make you want to wander off the usual path and see familiar places a little differently.

• Sliding Shores — Interactive Sea Level Rise Simulator (Drain Oceans, Flood Earth)

• The 9 best river cruises for every type of traveler

• The 25 American Roads to Drive Before You Die

• The Man With The Strangest Museum You’ve Ever Seen

• Walking Men From Around the World

📦 Featured Product

It’s only October, but Christmas will be here soon, and all the good deals will be too. But act fast, or they will be gone before you know it. Check out Jingle All the Way if you don’t get that reference. One of the products I saved to share is already out of stock, too! The 12 Days of Craftsman Advent Calendar is already one such item. Others genres or areas of interest include Golf, Beauty, LEGO, Fishing, Survival, and much more.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is Your Old Phone Actually Ready to Be Traded In?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Click Around and Play
📦 Featured Product: Ember Smart Mug

📝 Is Your Old Phone Actually Ready to Be Traded In?

If you took my advice from last week’s post on Are You Paying for a Phone You Could Be Getting for Free?, perhaps you have a new phone in hand and ready to send back your old one. Except…

Read this first!

There are a few things you need to triple check before turning in (or donating/selling) your old phone. If a phone were ever lost, stolen, or damaged, perhaps you weren’t able to backup your old phone and restore to your newer phone. Having been through that recently myself, it is a pain! However, a simple backup and restore is not without its own pain points. Let’s discuss the key areas that will help make sure your process is smooth and your old phone is ready to be traded in!

But before you do anything, do not delete or erase anything yet. Backup, Backup, Backup! Make sure your old phone is backed up whichever way you choose to do so. Either through a computer, the cloud, or manually. Especially your photos! Generally, you can verify photos are backed up by simply looking at the number of pictures and make sure the first and last pictures are included in the backup, while maybe randomly spot checking a few others.

Newer iPhones and Androids are usually pretty good at the restoring process from your older phone. Put simply, setting each of your phones next to each other with WiFi and/or Bluetooth on and you can start the process of “cloning” one phone to the other. After this process is completed, your apps, screen layout, background, settings, and all should be ready to go on your new phone. Without looking at the physcial phone itself, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two.

With a few exceptions. Sometimes, apps do not always move over with your account still logged in. Meaning, you have to enter your user name and password in order to use that specific app again. This is one of a few reasons on Why You Need a Password Manager along with practicing Password Security and Management.

Next, I have a small, but lengthy tip you may utilize to guarantee you can be certain everything you need and want from your old phone to your new phone is transferred accurately after a restore. This process works on Android or Apple, too.

After a backup is complete and you have two “identical” phones next to each other, open the app drawer on each phone. Alphabetically, one by one, open each and every app on both phones to verify they both open and function the same, have the same login information, are setup the same, etc. Remember, not every app will always bring your login information over appropriately. After verifying an app works properly on your new phone, simply delete that app from your old phone.

Repeat this process until every app has been opened and is setup on the new phone and every app has been deleted on the old phone. This process can also be used for phone settings (home screen views, saved dictionary/keyboard words and shortcuts, etc). This is tedious, but it works!

Once complete, the old phone is now ready for the next few steps. Regardless if using an Android or Apple device, each have their own version of a security lock that needs to be removed. On Android, you can follow the steps to Removing your Android activation lock. On Apple, follow the steps on How to remove Activation Lock. This is also known as “Find My.”

After verifying removal of the security measures, your phone is now ready to be erased and wiped for trade in. On Android, follow these steps on How to reset your Android device and what you need to know beforehand, and for Apple, follow these steps on how to Erase iPhone based on the version of iOS installed.

Once wiped, the last step is to prepare your phone for shipping and return. Typically, you have the option to ship it with a provided return label, or turn it in to a physical storefront. To be fair and clear, I’ve heard horror stories of both ways of returning a phone, but we can help mitigate any possible issues. Essentially, the receiver will say the phone was either not received or turned in with damage.

The easiest way to remedy this situation is by filming the return process. Whether in store or via shipping, video the phone after turning it on, and show a few different angles of the “Welcome” screen to indicate it’s ready for a new user and the screen and body of the phone is free of cracks and major damage. Keep the video playing while powering off the device and putting it in the box with tape and the shipping label placed, or physically handing it to an employee within the company. Ask for a receipt for either, indicating who received the item. If shipping, make sure to purchase insurance if not included. If in person, ask for their business card - this could also be helpful when leaving a positive review.

Again, to be clear, I’ve done this process 3-5 times and have personally never had an issue, but that doesn’t mean others haven’t. Just be careful and take precautions.

Are you ready to trade your phone in?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• At the Meta Connect Keynote 2026, they Launched a $1,299 VR Headset That Look Like Glasses to Rival Apple Vision Pro and an AI Muse Charm [that] Could Be Meta’s iPod Moment.

• Amazon delivery drones spark resident revolt in Texas suburb as [they] block Meta’s Muse AI assistant in new standoff over agentic shopping.

• Google Gemini accessed three companies during AI hacking test

• Trump wants a new AI czar and an “AI Force” modeled on Space Force

• YouTube promises custom feeds and a lot more AI later this year

😎 POTW: Click Around and Play

This week’s picks are a little nostalgic, a little competitive, and very easy to lose time in.

• 56k.rip - the 1996 dial-up internet experience

• Geozee — Daily Geography Category Puzzle

• Golf Course Browser — Every US Golf Course on One Map

• Mattel Sets UNO Card-Game Competition Series to Stream on Twitch

📦 Featured Product

For any of you that know me well - I am not a coffee or tea drinker. But that doesn’t mean I don’t look out for my fellow caffeine connoisseurs. If you find yourself heating up your coffee one or more times throughout the day, consider an Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug. You can use the app to control the temperature of your mug between 120-145°F all day (in tandem with the coaster), or up to 80 minutes on battery. Happy sipping!

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are You Paying for a Phone You Could Be Getting for Free?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Old Ideas, Modern World
📦 Featured Product: Things That Hold Other Things

📝 Are You Paying for a Phone You Could Be Getting for Free?

Every fall, at least for the Apple fans, they must ask themselves, “Is it time to upgrade and get the new iPhone?” Sometimes this answer is simple, sometimes it’s a bit more difficult. Android users go through the same internal struggle, so this argument can be made for anyone with a cell phone. It’s just feels a bit more prominent every September since Android device releases are broken up throughout the year (Google, Samsung, etc).

I’ve talked in the past about When Should I Buy a New Phone? and have a set rule of thumb I’ve been pretty consistent on. Essentially, I believe you should upgrade every 3-5 years whether you need to or not. Older phones will eventually not be able to update the software to keep up with newer versions. Which means you’re missing features, but more importantly - missing security updates.

Not to mention, your phone holds your entire life. Your phone calls, texts, passwords, personal media, and much more. You use it everyday and depend on it - don’t keep yourself from having a stress free life in this area of tech. In the podcast linked above, I talk about pretty specific scenarios, helping you choose when and what to buy, but in this post, I want to talk about something I’ve realized most people don’t take advantage of or fully understand - trading in your older phone for the most recently released phone. This has been the case with the iPhone for roughly the last 10 years, but many Android phones follow suit.

Generally, within the first month or two, one or more of the major cell phone network providers (ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc), will give you a lot of money when you trade in your older phone towards the newer phone. They usually accept a phone that is 3-5 years (or versions) old, and the trade in value is the same regardless of the age of the phone. Meaning, last years model will not warrant you any more money via trade in.

For example, this year, ATT is giving up to $1,200 towards a new iPhone 18 as long as you trade in an iPhone 14 or newer in working condition. So what’s the catch? Well, for starters it depends on the plan you have. But it doesn’t require a new line (which some do). You do, however, have to pay the taxes upfront and sometimes an upgrade fee. The biggest catch though, is the “rebate” comes monthly. Meaning - each month, they will charge you $33.33 for ‘purchasing’ the phone, but also credit you that same $33.33 for 36 months. Multiplying $33.33 x 36 months = $1,200.

What happens if you don’t stay with [insert provider] for all 36 months? Simple, you much pay off the remaining balance. So if in 1 year you decide to switch to [another provider], you will have paid $33.33 x 12 = ~$400, and need to pay the $800 difference. BUT, and this is a big BUT — if you stay with [insert provider] for the full 36 months, you essentially have received the newer phone for free. Some carriers do this over 24 or 30 months, too.

“Well, what if I don’t know if I’ll stick with them for that long?” Well, there are other options. Apple, Google, and Samsung all have their own version of an “Upgrade” program. But I also wrote a post about Breaking Down the Hidden World of Alternative Cell Phone Providers. However, if there’s the slightest chance you will switch providers, it is absolutely worth the ‘purchase.’ Even if you switch, you still need a newer phone every so often, and with an MVNO, you’ll typically have to pay out of pocket for it.

So with that, I would like to make a new rule of thumb. If your cell phone provider allows trading in/up your older phone for a newer phone at $0/month, you should absolutely take advantage of that. It doesn’t matter if you want a new phone or not, it’s a phone that will last you ~3 years longer than your current phone for ~$100. And it comes with much better hardware, speed, and battery life!

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Apple releases iOS 27 with Siri AI overhaul while Microsoft wrote a Code of Conduct for future MAI (Microsoft AI) Models.

• Other Top A.I. Leaders Call for Slowing Down A.I. Development except for Meta. There, Mark Zuckerberg Takes Aim at Anthropic in Debate Over A.I. Slowdown. They also released Muse for the Mac, letting the AI take actions on your computer.

• In regard to the political space in tech, Revolut confirms customer data breach through fake government requests and the Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry.

• A connectomics milestone: Mapping the complete male fruit fly brain - which helped Pietro Schirano train the fly to play Super Mario.

😎 POTW: Old Ideas, Modern World

This week’s picks prove humans have been weird, clever, and surprisingly innovative for a very long time.

• 40 Studio Portraits Showcasing Victorian Men’s Facial Hair

• Fast food in ancient times

• The First Computer Bug & the Harvard Mark II

• Wheels, gears, and batteries: 15 ancient ideas that engineered the modern age

📦 Featured Product

This week, here’s a few random picks of things that hold other things. I own/have owned each of these and if this is something you would use, these are worth having!

• Kewig Motorcycle Cup Holder

• Microphone Mic Stand

• Magnetic Test Tube Flower Vases for Refrigerator

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is a Link the New Business Card?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Views Worth Sharing
📦 Featured Product: Cooling Car Seat Cover

📝 Is a Link the New Business Card?

Last week I talked about creating a digital CV/portfolio, but maybe you visited GarrettWheat.com and wanted something similar? This is another version of the typical “Bio Link” site that just about all creators and influencers have popularized. Except nowadays, anyone that has an online presence has one - including businesses. Rather than having to tell people to “Follow me on [insert platform(s)],” they can be sent to one site that list all other sites.

We used to just hand out a business card with our information on it, but people are sharing a link or a QR code that sends people to a bio link or “digital business card” page. Linktree is probably the best-known and most popular example, but there are thousands of others. I cannot list them all, but some of the more popular ones you may have seen include:

• AllMyLinks

• Beacons

• Carrd

• Dot.

• Later’s Link in Bio

• Tiles

• Shorby

• SleekBio

The basic idea is simple: instead of giving someone five different places to find you online or trying to email each other, you give them one permanent link that points to everything else.

These services range in price, look, and features. Most of them provide free versions and charge for extra features or to remove branding. Since they are similar,my suggestion is to find the one you like the look of or that functions the way you prefer.

What types of links should you include? Well, the sky’s the limit essentially. You can include all of your social media accounts, a link to your website, LinkedIn Profile, a newsletter, product for sale, schedule a meeting, and any other contact information you’d like to share. For example, my page includes a link to this newsletter, my recently launched app, my book, my social networks, and more. Don’t forget a link to your resume page! As things change, you can just update one link page, and the main link would stay the same.

This link can also live all over your online and physical presence: your email signature, listed in the “About” pages of all of your social media sites, in your biography, and even on your business card. If you really wanted, you could replace your Instagram handle on your car’s back glass with your link. Kidding, of course…

Essentially, you may not know what someone is interested in about you if you just met. Your bio link page gives them an overview and insight to who you are. This can be as professional or as personal as you’d like. The common discussion in business for years has been to keep your private life private (which is still generally good advice), but many companies like to show the human side of their employees, too.

As mentioned above, companies like Dot. actually try to blend the physical and digital world by providing business cards, bands, and other NFC-style devices allowing someone to scan your card and have access to your profile (and/or site). There are also ways to setup your own NFC devices or a QR Code to forward to your link, save your contact info, and much more.

While business cards may still have a place, they are slowly being augmented with the digital version across the business landscape. Do you have a bio link page? What else are you including on yours?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Watch the Apple Event where the New Apple CEO unveils latest iPhone lineup, including a foldable model called Duo.

• Apple Watch’s new feature listens to your chats and recaps them but [they] still protect your privacy. Meanwhile, Meta Disabled Cameras on Thousands of Ray-Ban AI Glasses.

• California governor signs laws aimed at protecting kids from risks of social media, AI chatbots while the UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones.

• OpenAI Says It Has Cracked One of Math’s ‘Millennium Problems’ and also Introduced ChatGPT Images 2.5.

😎 POTW: Views Worth Sharing

This week’s picks are all about things worth seeing. From breathtaking photography in sky and space to natural wonders, creative logos, and beautiful architecture. Consider this your reminder that there’s still plenty of incredible stuff to look at.

• 16 gorgeous images from the 2026 Aerial Photographer of the Year Awards

• Artemis II Photo Timeline

• Graphic Designer Creates Logos Of Famous Painters

• Nature’s Most Extraordinary Moments In 4K

• The 7 Most Beautiful Airport Terminals in the World

📦 Featured Product

If you have an older vehicle, there’s a chance it doesn’t have air conditioned seats. Oh, you didn’t know that was a thing? No worries, I got you covered! Check out the Coverado Cooling Car Seat Cover. It simply connects to power through the 12v port in your car, and has 3 speed levels. I’ll be honest, the material takes a bit of getting use to, but it’s not - not - comfortable. The air blows from two fans, and is actually cool air. One hiccup (that I think all versions of this will have) is as you sit on the cushion, you essentially block part of the airflow to your back. However, it does still work well, and I would suggest it!

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Should Your Resume Be a Website?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: How to and Life Skills
📦 Featured Product: Custom Key Caps

📝 Should Your Resume Be a Website?

When was the last time you updated your resume? If you are looking for a job, then probably more recent than most. Whether your job hunting or not, having an up to date resume, CV, or portfolio that lives on the web can be very useful. Now to dig through your flashdrives to find your most recent copy…

If you do play to apply for a new job anytime soon, having a physical resume is probably useless. The digital copy, however, is worth keeping around. Most companies only allow applying online, and even then, you have to copy and paste your information into boxes on their site outlining your education, experience, and skills. Hopefully, you at least try to keep your resume updated once a year or so.

And there’s the problem. A typical resume is essentially a snapshot of a moment in time when it was last updated. Updating it frequently almost feels daunting, too. You have to be on the computer where the file is stored, then you have to make a backup, maybe even email it to yourself, and things just become cumbersome. Which means you put it off or don’t do it.

When you finally decide to update it, you have to remember every little thing you did: finished projects, earned a certification or award, gave a presentation, published an article, among many other personalized achievements.

What I would like to suggest you create is a digital version of your CV. This can include a lot of the same things in your typical resume, but more personalized, personable, and much more interactive. The most basic example of this is a LinkedIn profile. This is a great, basic start, but LinkedIn can have issues with privacy, sharing, and it limits what you can actually put on your profile. Things you can add to your CV/portfolio can include many of the same things as a typical resume:

• Work experience

• Education

• Certifications

• Major projects

• Presentations

• Publications

• Awards

• Professional organizations

• Volunteer work

• Software or technical skills

However, now each item can be hyperlinked. The link could take someone to your companies’ websites, social media pages, or even to a specific project. Certifications can link to the organization in question or even let someone see the PDF version of your certification. A link for a presentation could allow the slides to be viewed.

Then, you could even include digital assets that can’t be shared easily:

• Audio files

• Pictures

• Videos

• PDFs

• Links to products or services (books, courses, apps)

• Links to social media sites

Essentially, anything that can be shared on the internet can now be shared in your new digital CV. You also don’t have to think of this as a job-hunting tool. This digital CV can become your ultimate social media platform. It tells anyone anything and everything about who you are. Sharing the link will allow others to not only read but see what kind of work you do. The information here can potentially help you earn a speaking gig at a conference, too. The next time someone asks for a bio, you can simply share a link. Or you can use this for your current job the next time an annual evaluation comes up, and you’re asked to provide a list of your accomplishments over the last year.

This “link” can also be accessed via a domain you’ve purchased. Perhaps your FirstNameLastName.com? I wouldn’t share this without providing an example, now, would I?

If you visit GarrettWheat.com and scroll down to the button that says, “Full Resume/CV,” you will be sent to my personal digital portfolio stored on Notion.com. This can easily and generally quickly be edited to stay up to date with all the happenings in my personal and professional career.

Keep in mind, when you do need a resume, you can use this new digital CV to pick and choose what should be on your “one-pager,” then link to your new expanded CV.

As mentioned, I used Notion to create my digital CV, but there are plenty of other options. They include:

• Adobe Portfolio

• Canva Websites

• Carrd

• Framer

• Google Sites

• SquareSpace

• Tiles

• Wix

• Worst case — a link to a Word Document or PDF stored in the cloud (e.g., Dropbox, OneDrive)

What’s important to note: the website used is not where the focus should be placed. It is a tool to help record a list of your professional work. Use what you are comfortable with and what works for you. It can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be. For example, if your professional work is more portfolio focused, check out my buddy’s sites: ClintSelf.com and MeltdownIllustration.com.

I’ll leave you with one quick note of caution. Remember that anything put online is accessible at any time from anyone. Make sure you don’t share private information like addresses, phone numbers, or emails that you intend to keep private. If you share any projects from work, make sure you have permission first. There are a lot of things I do at work I am unable to share. Believe me though - they are really cool and I did an amazing job!

So, if someone asked you today to show some of your work from the past five years, would you know where to send them?

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Apple’s Cook Says He ‘Will Miss This Work’ in Final Memo as CEO

• Everything Apple Is Expected to Announce in September

• Google Won’t Be Forced To Sell Ad Tech Business Despite Monopoly, Judge Rules

• OpenAI’s Astra Is Here: What to Know About GPT-6

• Sony and Microsoft say they’re not obligated to pass U.S. tariff refunds to consumers

• Tesla Begins Offering Rides in a Car Without a Steering Wheel

• Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting monthly time limits, and you’ll be able to pay for more

😎 POTW: How to and Life Skills

Here’s a couple of random picks that help you and help you help others!

• 15 Things Every Dad Should Know How to Fix

• Be My Eyes App

• Handlebar vs Chevron Mustache: Which Style Is Right for You?

• How to Use AI in 2026: The Complete Proficiency Guide

📦 Featured Product

Do you have a normal keyboard that you’d like to personalize a bit? Well, depending on the keyboard you have, did you know you can replace the key caps? Here’s some examples of what you can replace them with:

• Custom Uploads

• Emoji Keycaps

• Gaming Direction Keys

• Topographic Key Caps

• Translucent Jelly Key Caps

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are We Finally Done Emailing Files to Someone Standing Next to Us?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Apple Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Unique Picks
📦 Featured Product: KardiaMobile 6L EKG

📝 Are We Finally Done Emailing Files to Someone Standing Next to Us?

Have you ever tried to send and/or receive a file from someone else’s phone, only to be met with a device different than yours? Maybe you have an iPhone and AirDrop doesn’t work with their Android. Or your Android can’t use Quick Share with an iPhone. Well, guess what? Now it can! With the recent update, one of the ‘hidden’ features means Android just got AirDrop. I say ‘hidden’ because let’s face it - neither Google or Apple want you to worry if your device works with the other’s. They want you on their device.

However, this update now allows Android and Apple devices to share files seamlessly from phones to tablets to computers. Rather than having to text or email, using Quick Share/AirDrop is immediate. It also has another perk - it will keep full quality of the file. Have you ever shared a picture or video and the recipient received a much poorer quality version of what you see on your phone?

You could upload it to a shared cloud drive - Google, OneDrive, Dropbox - but that defeats the purpose of immediacy. There’s also something ironic about having to upload a photo to a server half way around the world to send to someone sitting 10 feet away.

For years, Apple has been the gold standard for file sharing from one device to another - as long as it’s within their ecosystem. And now thanks to the EU, AirDrop works with Android devices. Essentially, this is creating a direct communication channel via Bluetooth and transferring the files over WiFi. Files could be sent over Bluetooth alone (they have been on older devices for years), but the speed is slow(er) and the strength can be weak(er).

If it sounds like I’m underselling this, I apologize. This is a very big deal not only for mobile users, but for tech industry as a whole in regards to communicating and sharing through open standards.

So, if this is a great step forward for Android/Apple folks, what’s the hold up? It’s a built-in app that just works, right? Well, there are still some issues for mass adoption. First, not all Android phones and tablets support AirDrop via Quick Share. Neither option supports transferring files to a PC, either. It can also be slow at times and only works when someone is within around 25 feet.

Enter the third-party alternatives. The following list includes some of the major players in the peer-to-peer file sharing space. They include:

• Blip

• LocalSend

• PairDrop

• ShareDrop

They provide a mix of features, including: no accounts required, sharing to *essentially any device with internet access, transfers as fast as your internet connection, can share with anyone anywhere in the world, and some even use your local network without using internet bandwidth. Some have even noted sending gigabytes of files, and when the connection is interrupted, resuming the transfer rather than starting over.

An important distinction here, too. These services are not providing file storage to access at a later time. They are essentially instantly sharing the file. These services to not compete with the file storage options mentioned earlier. It is also not a transfer of the file from one user to another. It is sending a copy of the file. meaning, it still lives on your device.

So, the next time someone asks you to send them a file, you may no longer have to ask what their phone number or email is since ‘they have a different phone type’ than you. You could simply just ask them to turn on their sharing.

Are you familiar with any other peer-to-peer file sharing service that isn’t Napster?

🗞️ ICYMI: Apple Updates

As Apple prepares for the changing of the guard, they held a Farewell Party for Tim Cook. As Apple concurrently celebrates their 50th Anniversary, check out this auction of some unique and rare Apple memorabilia.

Their new CEO, John Ternus, comes from the hardware side of Apple, so it will be interesting to see their future movement in a world of AI. For starters though, they announced new Mac Minis. You can preorder on their website, and check out the Apple M5 Ultra Vs M3 Ultra and What’s Changed.

On the software side of things, Apple TV now costs $14.99 a month after its fourth price hike in four years. This has other affects, causing a rise in their Apple One subscription, which includes Apple TV, iCloud Storage, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• AI’s memory crunch is coming for Android apps

• Chinese humanoid robots break human records at Beijing’s robot games

• Galaxy S26 August patch is here to fix that ‘red stain’ problem

• Nvidia in Talks to Buy AI Startup Hugging Face (the company OpenAI recently ‘hacked’)

• SpaceX to Spend $100 Billion on Spaceport in Louisiana

😎 POTW: Unique Picks

If weird wasn’t enough, how about some unique picks?

• 7 Rare Vinyl Records That Are Worth a Fortune

• 10 of the Creepiest Things Ever Displayed in Museums

• Am I Unique? Your Online Fingerprint

• Boredom for creativity

• The Nightly - sad. old. radio.

📦 Featured Product

In the medical world, consumer devices are tricky. Many times they aren’t approved and may not provide as accurate of information needed. However, sometimes devices are close enough and can show trends that help users know when to see a medical professional for a more detailed analysis. We’ve seen this with many of the smart watchs that provide heart rate and ECG tracking. Now, there’s a new device that allows users to complete an at-home EKG, the KardiaMobile 6L. They note it takes around 30 seconds, and can help detect AFib, Bradycardia, Tachycardia and Normal Sinus Rhythms. It requires a mobile app but does not require a subscription.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Why Do Newer Phones Sometimes Take Worse Pictures?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Unexpected Headlines
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: The Future can be Scary
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Weird Picks
📦 Featured Product: Lights

📝 Why Do Newer Phones Sometimes Take Worse Pictures?

At the risk of stating the obvious, just about everyone has their phone on them at any given time throughout the day. Which means everyone also has a camera within arms reach at any given time, too. And if you’re like me, you gave up on even considering buying a handheld camera to supplement your phone’s camera. They have become that good in recent years.

Except, have they?

Popular YouTuber MKBHD posted a few short clips showcasing the camera quality of the iPhones along with the at-the-time flagship Samsung phones to put that to the test. You can tell for yourself and argue with others about if the quality has increased or declined over time.

What you can’t argue is the processing these cameras are capable of doing today has exponentially increased over the years. Herein lies the problem. If our cameras are capable of so much processing power, why are our pictures not following suit? Why can we take the same picture with our newer phone and say to ourselves, “My older phone took better pictures.”

Well, this is where things can get a bit tricky. Within the camera and photo space, we have hardware and software features that are both becoming much more advanced and better by all metrics. Even if someone would argue an update of sorts to one of the given features isn’t “better,” there are ways to adjust and “go back” to the older version. At least in theory.

Modern camera phones have much more control over exposure, brightness, tone, noise, sharpness, and many other “full” camera features. Not to mention, they can identify objects, faces, QR codes, and adjust or blur backgrounds to create a bokeh effect. The processing power required to do all of this on the device, within a second of pressing the shutter button is crazy if you compare to previous models - and even older full cameras.

So back to the original question: if our cameras are much better by all accounts, why do our pictures appear worse at times? Well, as mentioned, we have to consider the hardware and software sides of the equation. Most of us just use the default settings that make all of the decisions for us. For example, when you do see a picture you take and argue that your older phone took a better picture - you’re only seeing that for the given parameters from that specific picture. Tons of things are factors in that argument: indoor vs outdoor, night or day, how much natural light, what’s in the background, what’s the subject, and much more.

All of those demographics of where, when, and how the picture was taking, in tandem with all of the qualities of a picture file mentioned above, dictate the choices the camera app on your phone makes. And for 99% of the time, it’s probably good enough. If not, good enough that most people wouldn’t even notice any difference between pictures taken by 10 different people and devices.

But sometimes the phone makes decisions you wouldn’t. Or sometimes you want to adjust the picture just enough to highlight a certain part of the image. Maybe you want the background to pop a bit. Or maybe the picture was taken at night and it looks washed out. This is where third-party camera apps come in. For both iOS and Android, there are probably hundreds of apps in this space I’m unaware of, so I will only focus on 4 in total that I am familiar with.

There are two apps on the hardware side that help take better pictures, by saving the original file in a format that saves as much information about the picture as possible - RAW. Your fefaul camera typically saves pictures in a JPEG or HEIC file that is essentially “flat” in that no settings were preserved. These third party apps give you more direct control of the camera hardware, allowing you to adjust shutter speed, ISO, focus, exposure, white balance, and more, while saving all settings, too. They include:

• Halide

• Moment

However, taking the picture is only half of the work. On the other hand, there are two apps on the software side that allow better editing of these pictures. These apps can read the RAW file which shows all of the information saved by the camera app. It’s also important to note, the pictures you take will appear to be worse at first. That’s because the camer app simply takes a picture - it’s not making any adjustments or creative decisions. That’s where these photo editing apps come into play. They include:

• Lightroom

• Snapseed

Taking a picture and editing a picture are two totally different things. If you are just taking a picture of a receipt, or trying to remember where something is or what it looks like, the auto setting on your default camera is probably good enough. But if you’re trying to take a picture of a landscape or try your hand at family pictures on a whim, a third party camera app and editing tool will be your best bet.

There are trade offs when choosing to use other apps, though. Obviously, it takes much more time as you may have already gathered. The taking of the picture takes time to adjust the focus and other settings as needed. Then, you must bring that picture into an app for further tuning. In general, RAW files are fairly large in size, too. And if you don’t delete the original after editing as saving as a JPEG, you’ll have duplicate files on your phone.

Essentially, your default camera is good enough, but if you find that it’s not doing as good of a job as you’d like, theres a few things to blame, and using a couple of other apps (or just tweaking some settings) will fix it. So if you’re like me and don’t want to carry around another device just for taking pictures, it may be worth looking into what your current phone’s camera is already capable of.

🗞️ ICYMI: Unexpected Headlines

I don’t like to report on leaks, because things change too much and it’s just too hard to keep up sometimes. But last week, Apple Accidentally Leaked More Than 10 New Products in macOS Update. So maybe we can expect some AirPods with cameras along with their other (expected) updated devices. We’ll find out within the next month or two!

Walmart finally launching Apple Pay support next week. That’s it. That’s the headline, and it’s one we never thought we’d see.

🗞️ ICYMI: The Future can be Scary

Comcast is turning your WiFi router into a basic home security system, for free. This is pretty interesting, but the WiFi signals can essentially map out your home, note where movement is happening, and notify you of unexpected movement.

States sue Meta over kids’ safety, seek nearly $200 billion, saying “it made its apps addictive for kids and broke child safety laws.”

Tesla’s Austin robotaxis are now fully driverless. So if you are in the area and see a car driving around by itself, don’t be ‘too’ alarmed. Until now, Tesla had an employee riding around as a backup should things go awry.

🗞️ ICYMI: AI Headlines

• Slack launches Slack Code, where teams and AI agents build together

• OpenAI ‘will be a public company in 2027’ or sooner, CFO Friar tells employees

• Google just bought a bunch of Spirit Airlines data for AI training

😎 POTW: Weird Picks

I know the word “weird” is relative… but here are some picks of what other people have called weird:

• 6 of the weirdest things to ever wash up on the beach

• 22 Weird Driving Laws Across the Country

• The 100 life decisions people dread most

• Young People Are Ditching Skin Tats for Tooth Tattoos

• The Weirdest Festivals in America Celebrate Aliens, Cow Poop—and Racing Toilets

📦 Featured Product

A few posts back, I shared some lamps for your office or home. However, I have since stumbled upon these picks that also have ‘lights’.

• Endoscope Camera with Light

• LED Lights for TV

• GOTUS LED Sign for Car (or desk)

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Did Algorithms Kill the Hashtag?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Made by Google Event
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Entertainment Picks
📦 Featured Product: Open Ear Headphones

📝 Did Algorithms Kill the Hashtag?

Recently, the new owners of MySpace have noted they are wanting their social platform to make a comeback of sorts. There’s still a lot of details to work out, but at least there’s hope. Well, for millions of Millennials, anyway. The nostalgia appears rampant across other social media platforms, including tons of Gen Zers who missed that era. But the question is really - where is the nostalgia coming from?

Of course nostalgia is a tricky subject, but from what I can tell of the consensus, it seems like many people just miss the “olden days” of social media. What made social media popular (and even moreso, MySpace) was users being able to login and see their friends posts. They only saw posts of users they followed, businesses didn’t have accounts, and users actually had to search out to find new things.

There was no algorithm or machine learning to “show you” anything the system thought you may enjoy. It was very much a manual process to look and search for things you wanted to see. However, one such tool - the Hashtag - allowed users to group conversations or discussions around a certain topic of choice. A #Hashtag is nothing more than a word, group of words, or short phrase preceded by a pound sign or number sign. Depending on your social media platform of choice, typically, they are also clickable and will search that hashtag and show posts where users have posted that same hashtag on their post.

This became a way for users to follow events, breaking news, conferences, and even TV shows in real time. As the #Hashtag became more popular, you can imagine users started using it more and more. This led to posts that would potentially only contain a single picture with 10-15 hashtags. Because if posting one helps with discoverability, more is better, right?

Well, then the algorithms started taking over. Users didn’t have to search for the content they wanted to see because the platforms would simply show you things you didn’t know you wanted to see, and in some cases things you didn’t even know existed. We went from telling the platforms what category something belongs to based on the hashtag given to the post, but increasing, the platforms (computers on the backend) are figuring that out for themselves. They know where you are, what you’re doing, what you just saw, and can assume a post you are making is about topic “X.”

Since, some major platforms have even started to limit the number of hashtags in a post. For example, Instagram limits posts and Reels to 5 hashtags, Threads limits posts to 1 hashtag. X.com still allows them, but does not in paid ads. TikTok allows them, but apparently they aren’t used by the algorithm, only for searchability.

All this to say, the #Hashtag isn’t dead or meaningless. It just means social platforms have changed the way findability works. They still make sense for events, and news, and other items mentioned, but note this is when a user is searching out a topic. And the TV show bit is minimized since most TV shows aren’t watched live anymore.

MySpace is gaining popularity with the announcement of its possible return, but again, the nostalgia runs deep. The #Hashtag can be viewed as the label it is living in between the algorithms and social platforms where we only see those we follow. It is an intentional search for a topic or event that can help breathe a little bit of life into what social platforms used to be like. But don’t think you have to add a bunch of hashtags on your post - the systems are still good enough to tell which ones are most accurate.

The ultimate question here may not be what’s the best platform. It may be asking users if they prefer to let the system choose what to see, or let the user search out what they intend to see.

🗞️ ICYMI: Made by Google Event

Google announced a lot of new devices at their Made by Google ‘26 event. You can check out Everything Revealed at Made by Google 2026 in Less Than 12 Minutes or read below. A new Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro (in two sizes), and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold phones received hardware and software updates including:

• Gemini updates across the platform, including major voice typing updates

• Better quality camera for telephoto and night time pictures

• Up to 30 hours of battery, with around 15 hours of use from 15 minutes of fast charging

• Highlight - a customizable colored light on the back of the phones to help show who’s calling

• A new Magic Capture feature to automatically capture pictures and video simultaneously

• A new Sign-to-Text feature allowing ASL users to convert their signs to text in real time

Other devices include Pixel Buds Pro 2, the Pixel Tag, and the Pixel Watch 5 - with accurate heart rate tracking for fitness and health tracking and advanced GPS

In other Google news, the classic Search button is gone in a new AI-first homepage and Google has started hosting rival app stores in the Play Store after the Epic decision earlier this year.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

• Anthropic says it will watermark text generated by its AI models

• Apple is working on a way to authenticate that a photo came from an iPhone camera

• IBM found there were an increase of 56% AI-driven attacks, led by AI deepfake impersonations and AI-enabled malware

• Mark Zuckerberg shared a manifesto titled The Future is for Everyone where he argued that personal super intelligence is for everyone and should have free or affordable access

• Milo, the first fully autonomous robot guide dog

• Spotify asks creators to label songs when they’re AI-generated

• Windows 11’s major context menu upgrades are INSANELY good

😎 POTW: Entertainment Picks

A couple of picks for movies, music, TV, and an app to play music behind your podcast.

• 20 Best Sword-and-Sandal Films, From ‘The Odyssey’ to ‘Gladiator’

• Bingebuster — your streaming services, restocked as a video store

• Music Fans Rerank Rolling Stone’s List Of The Best Songs From Fake Bands

• Podbeat: Beats for any Podcast App

• The Seinfeld Chronicles

📦 Featured Product

Across the globe, there are thousands, if not millions, of headphones available for purchase for your mobile devices. Wired, Bluetooth, in-ear, over the ear, and many other options. However, a newer style is beginning to become more and more popular. The open ear headphones. These allow the user to hear the music, video, phone call, etc., while still hear things going on around them. This is much safer for pedestrians and bicyclist alike. Two of the more popular models are the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and the SHOKZ OpenDots 2.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: How Much Freedom Should We Give AI?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: SpaceX and Starlink
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Food and Drink
📦 Featured Product: Every Day Carry

📝 How Much Freedom Should We Give AI?

Last week I talked about choosing a specific model within your chatbot of choice. But as mentioned, this has changed over the last few months, much less over the last few years. The highest reasoning models are getting much more powerful. This week, OpenAI claimed their next major model Astra had breakthroughs on 10 long-standing math problems.

Just in the last couple of months, we also saw OpenAI’s unreleased model Escape and Hack a Company in Cybersecurity Test. Except they weren’t alone. A few days later, Anthropic says its AI models hacked 3 organizations during testing. What’s interesting is this comes a month or so after the US Government ordered Anthropic to block all public access to Claude Fable before removing it a few weeks later. You can read more about Why the US Government Shut Down Claude Fable.

However, it’s very important to note that none of these bots decided to start hacking on their own and become sentient. They were being tested with a given objective, and some level of parameters to work within. Essentially, the chatbots found holes in the rules of the game but did so without causing any harm.

Traditional software works because someone tells it what to do and it follows the rules. I talked about this in my post about The Power of Automation Software to Upgrade Your Workflows. AI functions very similar, except there’s not only one way to solve the problem its given. The more capable and powerful the specific model becomes, the better it becomes at finding multiple paths towards the objective, or at least different paths. And sometimes, these paths are unexpected.

What’s interesting is that sometimes what programmers and researchers use to help train the models seems to come out of left field - and it works. This is akin to how humans function, too. Have you ever had a problem in one area of your life, move to work on another problem, and it hits you. You now know how to solve the first problem. Famously, Mark Zuckerberg said he gave up running as exercise to take his mind off work because ‘the problem with running is you can think a lot’.

That said, AI can improve by doing something “new” rather than these companies continuing to throw money at compute power. One new way AI Companies are combating this is by Buying Tons of Old Books Because They’re Free of AI Slop. This is for one main reason: the information written within the books are written entirely by humans and no forms of AI or machine learning programs. With the amount of content being uploaded to the internet everyday, the amount of information isn’t what’s helpful. What the AI bots need is good information - or at least, not other AI generated information.

A friend shared a video with me that was pretty interesting. In it, computer scientist Stephen Wolfram shares how The universe follows rules, but that doesn’t mean it’s predictable. He describes a concept called “computational irreducibility” that essentially states as systems (and AI by extension) become more and more complex, there isn’t always a way to figure out what they will do or how they function. He gave the example of a horse - we know how to train them, ride them, and how they generally function - but they can still may surprise us with their actions.

This made me think of a mobile phone. For most of us, we know how our phones work, but we could never troubleshoot most hardware issues, much less build one from scratch. Like the horse and our phones, we know how to use AI, we know generally what it will do and how it works, but there’s still this black box concept happening that data goes in and data does out and we still don’t always know the outcomes.

Which is where the AI battle lives. Giving it too many guardrails means we restrict what it can’t and can do - making it far less useful, but potentially more accurate. Giving it too much freedom makes it more capable and powerful, but also less predictable and often times flat our wrong.

This doesn’t mean AI is becoming sentient as I mentioned already. At least yet. And I don’t know anything or think they will. I’m also not trying to scare anyone, just making an observation. The companies saw this happen and were able to contain it. But that also means the next test may try to do more and could do so without being caught…

The more access we give AI, the more we train, and the more it’s allowed to do, the more issues like this will surface. So the questions of “What can AI do?” or “What model do I use” may be replaced by a much deeper and more difficult to answer question of “How much freedom are we willing to give up?”

🗞️ ICYMI: SpaceX and Starlink

Just to remind you: SpaceX is “revolutionizing space travel by carrying both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Starlink is a satelitte internet service offering fast, affordable internet to rural areas. Starlink is owned and operated by SpaceX, and has recently hit 12 Million Subscribers. On the mobile front, SpaceX Outlines Plans to Take on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. They already offer a satellite mobile service through Starlink Mobile, so maybe it’s speed, availability, and price is ready for the mainstream. In order to launch more and more satellites, they are also expanding physically. SpaceX is set to acquire 130,000 acres of marshland in southern Louisiana.

🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines

Apple Plans iPhone-to-Windows Copy and Paste in EU After Microsoft Request. We’ll see if this is available early next year in the US (or even globally outside of the EU).

Bending Spoons to buy Airtable for $1.28B. If you use Airtable in your business, you will have a bit of runway to offload your databases should you choose. If history repeats itself from their other buyouts, Airtable will in fact get more features, but that will come with a higher price tag, too.

Ford announced a new small-to-midsize electric truck - the Ford Fathom. Check out this article with more information: Ford Fathom Electric Truck: What We Know So Far.

OpenAI is giving ChatGPT free users unlimited text chats. I still stand by the argument that if you are using AI a lot, it’s worth paying for as the token usability becomes much more useful.

😎 POTW: Food and Drink

It’s about time for another round of food picks! Enjoy some niche lists in the food and drink space:

• 8 Foods People in the ‘Odyssey’ Might Have Actually Eaten

• 11 Fruits That Wouldn’t Exist Without Human Intervention

• 11 Things Customers Steal Most Often From Restaurants

• The Healthiest Fast Food at 12 Chains

• The One Whiskey You Should Bring Home From Every State

• This Is the Most Popular Grilled Food in Each State

• Why These 13 Foods Are Banned In The US

📦 Featured Product

Over the last few months, I’ve shared some products on pens, fidget toys, and multitools, but here are a few more items that fit the Every Day Carry (EDC) category.

• Flat Rechargeable Flashlight

• Pebblebee Halo Personal Safety Alarm

• Titanium Toothpick Holder

• Travel Utensils with Case

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are You Using the Wrong AI Model?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI, Apps, Phones, and Streaming
😎 Pick of the Week: Disney Picks
📦 Featured Product: Organization

📝 Are You Using the Wrong AI Model?

In this world of -what seems like thousands of- AI tools, what’s the difference in all of the various versions? And why do they come out on a random basis? This has a lot to do with not only the hardware, but the software behind these systems. One way I read about comparing the differences, is to compare it to a company - in this case, I’ll use Apple as an example.

• OpenAI = Apple

• ChatGPT = iPhone

• 5.6 Sol = iPhone 17 Pro Max

• LLM = the A19 Chip

• ChatGPT application = iOS

• Reasoning effort = Performance settings

OpenAI is the company itself. They have multiple product lines like ChatGPT (for Work, Education, Enterprise), Codex, and discontinued products like DALL-E and Sora. Within a specific product like ChatGPT, they have multiple models (1, 2, …, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, etc). Then, within the model, the reasoning efforts can be modified for various outputs (instant, medium, high).

It may be obvious, but the higher number of the model, the more powerful and ‘smarter’ it is. However, that comes at a higher cost in tokens - meaning depending on how much you pay (or don’t pay if using the free version), your use of that model will be limited. Then, within each model, the higher levels will use more tokens, too. But why would you ever want to use instant over high? Better is better, right?

Well, not necessarily. It does mean it will always take longer. But longer thinking isn’t always better, either. At least depending on the question asked. To compare back to the iPhone, we would compare this to the performance settings - which are always tied to battery usage. So, imagine if instant is comparable to the efficiency mode, high is comparable to maximum performance, and medium is balanced. In the case of AI prompting, high reasoning is better for things like coding, analysis, and multi-step decisions when there are multiple constraints in place.

The basic example would be if you were asking for the solution to a simple math problem, or to make up a joke about ducks - the instant version would be best suited here. If you were trying to design a 3-year business plan that included tax information, software suggestions, marketing copy, and more - the higher reasoning model would need to be used to provide time and research. Choosing the wrong version can also stifle results. You can ask for all of those documents in the instant model, but your results will be all but useless.

The next question becomes, why are there new models released so often? Essentially, they may be faster and better (or smarter), but there are changes happening on the backend, too. This may include updates to the code, faster speeds, better reasoning, lower cost, lower use of electricity, improved memory, size of the model, and other tweaks to the system for usability around safety, multilingual support, or simply a better User Interface or User Experience. Just like every new version of an iPhone isn’t just faster, they have a better camera, battery, and more.

The next question I get a lot is, “Which one is the best?” And that answer can actually change month to month. Just like in the phone world, there’s a new manufacture releasing a new phone just about every month which is newer and better than any other on the market. The new Samsung Galaxy phone released last month is going to be (on paper at least) better than the last Google Pixel released… until the new one comes out. Which then starts the process all over again.

Another question to this is why do these companies still keep older products active and available for use? As mentioned, within each new model released, there are tradeoffs. We mentioned speed, cost, reasoning, memory, and others, but token utilization is another huge factor. Since different prompts on different models call for a varied use in tokens, sometimes you may want to prioritize your usage - especially with larger projects. Older models become exponentially cheaper when newer models are released.

Except something I’ve already written about a few times should be considered, too: local models. The Google AI Edge Gallery is one popular and powerful local model that can run on your device with no connection to the internet. There are some downsides though - this is comparable to an older “instant” model. Hugging Face is an AI community that shares tons of LLMs that can run local on your machine.

Ultimately, the best model is the one you are comfortable using and the one you will actually use. Unless you’re on the bleeding edge of coding or solving high-level mathmatical problems where you’re already paying $100-200 a month to use the model for, it probably doesn’t matter anyway. Just pick on you’re comfortable using, pay for the base tier, and choose the highest reasoning model based on the prompt you’re giving it.

Not sure which model to use and want to at least try to use the right one. Simple - just ask it! Type in what prompt you were planning to ask anyway, but before sending, make the first sentence something like, “Which model and reasoning effort would be best for the following prompt:“? If you really want to dig into prompting importance, there are tons of online courses, videos, and documentation. But maybe start here: Do you have to be polite to AI?

All this in mind, AI has grown exponentially in the last year. Any and every update may seem overwhelming, but the good news is choosing or deciding what model to use isn’t as important as just learning how to ask questions.

So the next time you open up a chat window, before typing in anything, ask yourself: What problem am I trying to solve?

🗞️ ICYMI: AI, Apps, Phones, and Streaming

AI

• Tau’s humanoid cleaning service Launched in San Francisco at $30 per hour, invite only, and human controlled while testing is underway.

• DoorDash Gets FAA Nod to Run Its Own Drone Delivery Program

• Industry Leaders Unite in Open Secure AI Alliance for AI Safety and Security “Including Leaders across cloud computing, cybersecurity, enterprise software, open source foundations and AI research.”

• Anthropic AI Models Hacked Three Companies During Tests …more to come soon.

Apps

• X.com launches X Money in the US with Apple Wallet support after invite-only beta. You can read more at X Money.

• Meta Gives Facebook Marketplace Its Own App Called Seller. Currently, it’s only available on the App Store. The Android version has testing underway.

• Jack Dorsey is taking on Slack with Buzz, a group chat platform for teams and their AI agents. Currently, only available on Mac.

Phones

• Amazon Plans to Launch 5,000 New Satellites to Beam Data to iPhones

• Apple Launches Product Leasing Program Through Klarna. Please do not lease an Apple product unless it’s strictly for work, you get a new one every 2-3 years, and you have Apple Care with it.

Streaming

• YouTube clarifies policies around AI slop and upsetting videos. If you’re using AI in your YouTube videos and trying to monetize, be careful! Without having full details yet, it appears YouTube “Hackquires” Peacock by ‘partnering’ rather than acquiring?

😎 POTW: Disney Picks

Disney World is often a vacation spot at the top of many people’s list. But there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes than what you may be aware of! The technology and engineering behind the parks and movies is amazing! If you’re okay with losing a bit of the magic, check out some of the picks below. And if you enjoy these picks and visit Disney World in person, I can’t suggest the Keys to Kingdom Tour enough!

• 8 Tech Innovations That Have Fueled Disney’s Rise

• Inside Disney’s Secret Engineering Lab

• Let’s move to Disney town! Will life in its 2,000 themed homes be a dream or a nightmare?

• Olaf: Bringing an Animated Character to Life in the Physical World

• Time stands still: A look inside Walt Disney’s office

• Why Disney World Has No Mosquitoes

📦 Featured Product

If the heat of the summer has you inside looking for things to do, perhaps you can pick up where your spring cleaning left off and organize and decorate a bit? There’s hopefully something for everyone. And lock your phone away until your finished!

• 3- or 4-Tier Medicine Storage Box Cabinet

• Clear Plastic Drawer Organizers

• Drawer Organizer for Garage

• Floating Bookshelf

• Metal 7 Day Travel Pill Organizer

• Mindsight Timed Lock Box

• Over the Door Organizer

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: When Is a Failed Product Actually Ahead of Its Time?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Galaxy Unpacked
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI Updates
😎 Pick of the Week: Education Picks
📦 Featured Product: Lamps

📝 When Is a Failed Product Actually Ahead of Its Time?

If you know me, or have followed me, long enough - you probably still may think I’m a Microsoft fan boy. To some extent, I may be, but it’s also no secret I’m trapped in the Apple ecosystem pretty deep and I’ve embraced the blue bubble. As mentioned, I still think Microsoft does some things right, I know they also do some things wrong, but other times, they may also just be too early. I also recognize many other companies do the same thing… I just had this thought this week, and now you get to hear about it! And hopefully get to thinking yourself.

What sparked the thought was seeing Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy Z Fold8. It is a “passport” book-opening shape that the rumored new iPhone is also alleged to be. Well, it’s probably not a spoiler, but do you know who released the first passport-style foldable phone? Microsoft. The Surface Duo had two inner screens with one outer screen (with one exception that the two inner screens weren’t connected). However, that may have been the right choice in hindsight since the first few years of foldables had major issues.

Well, this post wouldn’t be made if that was the only product I’m talking about. To be clear, I’m not saying every failed product was amazing and shouldn’t have been cancelled. Some products fail because they are bad, some fail because they are too expensive, others may fail due to understanding, timing, or limitations.

A few other Microsoft examples come to mind that you may or may not have heard of: Cortana, HoloLens, Microsoft Band, and the Surface Duo as mentioned.

Cortana was Microsoft’s digital assistant. At the time, it was their competitor to Apple’s Siri and Google’s assistant. Except anyone who had a Windows phone would tell you that Cortana was the market leader here. Today, Microsoft is trying to push back with Copilot, but I think they’ve fallen a bit too far to catch up, unfortunately.

HoloLens was Microsoft’s mixed reality headset. What we would refer to as Augmented Reality (AR). It was one of the first in the AR space, and most of the market moved towards VR. Where it stayed for a few years… until… you guessed it - back to AR. There are still VR-only headsets, but Apple’s Vision Pro, Meta’s Quest, and Google’s Android XR systems are all a mix of VR and AR. Microsoft’s biggest issue here was it was priced too far out for consumers and was a bit too bulky. Pair the HoloLens with the Xbox Kinect, and they could absolutely have a monopoly on the future of the gaming industry. Okay, that may be a bit too much, but I think you understand my point.

The Microsoft Band was one of the first fitness-focused wearables that wasn’t just a “smartwatch”. Now, all the major manufactures are releasing a screen-less wearable to rival the Whoop - the most popular fitness wearable. Now, smartwatches have taken over and generally include the fitness features most people care about. That said, years before the Band or any other major smartwatch, Microsoft also released SPOT Watch Technology. Too early here is almost an understatement.

I’m not sure what the full pattern is, but the next time Microsoft invests a lot into a product, then eventually cancel it, I may start investing in companies about to release the same type of product! It seems like Microsoft is mostly business-focused and struggles to get normal consumers to care before the category is ready.

The lesson here isn’t that Microsoft always gets it right. Clearly, they don’t. Again - somethings they do right, and somethings they do wrong. But othertimes, maybe they are just too early.

It’s also not just Microsoft. Google was a bit too early with Google Glass, and the Humane Pin has some competitors coming around. There are different reasons for both of those products, but as the market and the potential customers change, so do their needs.

What products are you seeing today that may be too early?

🗞️ ICYMI: Galaxy Unpacked

At the Galaxy Unpacked event last week, Samsung announced update devices, including: three new phones, two new watches, and a pair of smart glasses.

The Galaxy ZX Fold 8 Ultra is their flagship foldable, which was updated to be their thinnest phone, with biggest battery ever. The display now uses a new titanium film providing less of a crease than previous models. The new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is their first passport-style phone which is a bit smaller than the ultra, has one less camera, and is touted as their “lightest Fold phone ever.” The Galaxy Z Flip has been updated to be thinner and faster with a new One UI 9 for the Flex Window, allowing users to create custom Cards. All three phones have updated cameras, softwares, and AI is more integrated throughout the OS.

The phones and watches are available on August 7th, with the Samsung Intelligent Eyewear coming this Fall.

🗞️ ICYMI: AI Updates

OpenAI had a busy week… they Launched Health in ChatGPT, then their Models Escaped and Hacked a Company in a Cybersecurity Test Gone Wrong. Their agents were solving simulated hacking challenges, but found a vulnerability in the testing sandbox, allowing them to Break Into Hugging Face. There’s a much larger discussion here around increasingly more capable AI agents, but it does appear the agents were only trying to solve the issue at hand, not cause harm to the company or gain consciousness. Say what you will, but if companies owning the software are testing with results like this, then true hackers are probably already doing much worse. These models are already out and cannot simply be “shut down,” so this will be common in the foreseeable future. Hugging Face did release a Security incident disclosure.

😎 POTW: Education Picks

With school getting ready to start back across the country, perhaps you (and your kids) may enjoy some unique education picks to end your summer!

• 5 Most Common Shark Myths: BUSTED

• 6 Fascinating Facts to Know on the 150th Anniversary of the Telephone Call

• Education Interactive Periodic Table & Chemical Equation Balancer

• Every Moon Type in the Universe Explained

• What Collectibles Crazes Can Tell Us About an Entire Era

• What’s Under Your Feet in New York City?

📦 Featured Product

Whether your trying to get a bit more (or unique) light in your office, living room, or at the campsite, here’s a few lamps to consider:

• DIY Puzzle Lamp Shade

• Philips Hue Play Table Lamp

• SKYLEO Desk Lamp

• WeatheReady LED Camping Lantern

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Are You Using Your Inbox the Wrong Way?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI, Mobile, and Other Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Entertainment Picks
📦 Featured Product: Multitools

📝 Are You Using Your Inbox the Wrong Way?

A few years ago, I wrote a post about how to get to Inbox Zero in your email.

And before you start making excuses, no, Inbox Zero does not mean you are better than everyone else because your inbox is empty. It also does not mean you respond to every email immediately, live inside Outlook all day, or treat every notification like an emergency. Put simply, Inbox Zero means your inbox functions as a tool rather than a catch all.

I think most of us are used to and comfortable using email since we must use it for work. Not to mention it functions like a more in-depth text message, which we are all familiar. The problem is there is a lot more “junk” in our email, and it feels like a never-ending list of things to keep up with. As we receive more and more email, it becomes quite overwhelming. In the post linked above, the 5 main tips I shared still ring true today.

1. Move all current emails into a new folder called “Old Inbox”

2. Use your inbox as a “working table”

3. Create rules and filters for anything and everything

4. Create folders (or labels/categories) for everything

5. Use search!

What can be a bit confusing, or what may seem like a cheat at first, is by simply starting today with no emails in your inbox. These tips work collectively to help you manage your inbox. By moving everything currently in your inbox to another pre-determined folder, and creating a system to track your emails, your inbox can now become your Todo list of sorts.

Keep in mind: we are not deleting anything. We are not pretending the emails don’t exist and acting like we will never respond or act on them. We are simply giving ourselves a clean starting point. Remember, email should function like a tool, and in order to do that, starting fresh allows us to continue the process more effectively once it gets going.

Before any emails come in, we can choose on a new organizational system - and an important note: there is no one correct system. This can be based on a category or labeling structure, or a foldered structure. To be fair, I know many people who leave every email ever in their main inbox and just use the search feature mixed with categories or labels. It works for them. But if this worked for you, you would have already stopped reading by now I bet.

I prefer, and suggest, specific folders for every [topic, project, item, person, etc]. The system I use to create my folders and organization is based on the Johnny Decimal System. I’ve been using it for a few months and I’m sold. Anytime I need to find a file, note, or email, I can go straight to the given folder. Not sure what folder it’s listed under? Simple - just check the index file!

Alternatively, you could also wait until new emails come in, and create an organizational structure up based on who it’s coming from, what project it goes with, or what topic it falls under. Any system will be continually updated, so there’s flexibility. Now, the goal is simple: any email that lands in your inbox should eventually be handled in one of a few ways: responding, filing, deleting, or leave it to become a Todo later on.

Later on, you can attack that old inbox folder and start organizing those emails by searching [by topic, project, name, etc]. By simply searching the term, “Unsubscribe” the results will net all emails that you can then unsubscribe to. Or with a clean inbox, you’ll see them coming in in real time and can act then. I haven’t used it, but the app Trimbox: Email Cleaner has great reviews and appears to help do this step much easier.

Now, let’s talk about a few general email habits that have nothing to do with Inbox Zero but can save you headache in other ways.

First, you can highlight any text in your email, right click (or click the properties button of your email app) and select “Insert Link.” This will allow you to make your text clickable and go to a website of your choice to anyone you send the link to. Any of the text in this post that is colored red is clickable and created the same way.

Second, be careful with “Reply” versus “Reply All.” Sometimes indicated by a single curved arrow or a an arrow with two heads. Reply means you are responding only to the original sender. Reply All means you are responding to everyone in the “To” and “CC” fields. The “To” field is who you are intending to see the email - just like a text message (which can also be a group).

The “CC” stands for Carbon Copy and lets the recipient(s) in this box be in the loop. This is also you telling them, “Hey, this is important, but you don’t necessarily need to respond.” They are receiving a copy for their records.

The “BCC” stands for Blind Carbon Copy and lets the recipient(s) in this field receive the email as if it was only sent to them as an individual email. They will not see anyone else in the BCC field, however, they will see others in the “To” and “CC” boxes. Also important here, no one else who may be in the “To” or “CC” fields will see the users who received the email in the “BCC” field. This is also a way to email a lot of people the same email without anyone being able to choose “Reply all.”

Third, utilize email drafts more often! Many times, people will send an email as soon as they finish and immediately say, “Oops!” because they noticed a misspelt word or incorrect date.

Sometimes it can be helpful to write the message, leave the recipient blank, save it as a draft, and come back to finish it later. Leaving the recipient blank is the important part, because email apps will not let you send an email until that is filled out. If you don’t want to forget the users email for instance, just paste it at the top of the email and remove it before sending.

One last trick is to have an ongoing email chain with yourself that is pinned at the top of your inbox. That way, you always know where it is and its easily accessible. Simply right clicking on the email in your inbox will allow you to choose “Pin to top” where the email will live until you unpin, delete, or file it away.

So, keep in mind, with all of the advancements we’ve seen in technology - including the chat apps, project management tools, and AI chatbots - email is still default communication tool to most and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

If we have to use it, why not use it as a tool to make our lives easier. Find a system that works for you and implement it! If your inbox currently has 100+ unread emails, this is for you. Make sure your inbox is helping you get things done rather than be a place where emails go to disappear.

What other email tricks are you using?

🗞️ ICYMI: AI, Mobile, and Other Headlines

While Meta is doubling down on its Louisiana AI data center bringing the project’s cost to more than $50 billion, New York becomes the first state to enact a data center moratorium. SpaceX and xAI are working on moving their data centers to space, and China just switched on the first underwater data center, cooling servers with the ocean to slash energy use. On the software side of this, Apple Sues OpenAI, Accusing It of Stealing Company Secrets after hiring over 40 former Apple employees.

After almost 7 years on mobile Ninendo has to decided to shut down Mario Kart Tour on September 29, with no offline version planned. Specific to Android, Third-party app stores are coming to Google Play next week as the Epic settlement was withdrawn. This will open up tons of opportunities for new games and apps, so look for a Mario Kart clone if you are missing out. Current alternatives include Sonic Racing, Disney Speedstorm, and Beach Buggy Racing.

Just in case you were wondering, Cryptocurrencies are still here. Visa Is Expanding Its Crypto Push With New Stablecoin Platform, potentially opening the door for other financial organizations to make a move if they haven’t already.

Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin created a Wearable jacket that extracts 900 ml of drinking water daily from the air.

😎 POTW: Entertainment Picks

TV shows, movies, and music all keep us entertained and feel human. If you’ve ever wondered how things changed over time, what some actors really think about, or simply curious about the industry, here’s some entertainment picks I hope you find interesting:

• A timeline of tech advancements in music

• Channel Surfer - Watch YouTube Like It’s Cable TV

• In case you forgot directors cuts exists, I present to you - Ben Affleck Mocks Armageddon

• Most Famous Movie Set in Every State

• SeasonTracker — Track TV Show Seasons, Renewals & Cancellations

• The Golden Age Begins: 40 Vintage Film Posters of the 1930s

📦 Featured Product

Perhaps fidget toys weren’t your style? What about a multitool? Here are 3 different styles, so I’m sure one of them look interesting!

• Carabiner 8-in-1 Multitool

• GUARDMAN 11-in-1 Credit Card Multitool

• Leatherman Rebar Multitool

• Snowflake 18-in-1 Multitool

• Victorinox Swiss Card Classic Swiss Army Knife

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Is Your Device Getting Better, or Just Better Looking?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Meta
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Open AI
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Streaming TV and Games
😎 Pick of the Week: Travel Picks
📦 Featured Product: Fidget Toys

📝 Is Your Device Getting Better, or Just Better Looking?

Have you ever woke up and your phone or computer now looks different than it did before? Maybe the buttons moved or changed shape. Maybe an icon looks different. Or worse, you can’t find that one setting you know exactly where it is because all of the menus have changed, too.

Well, Operating Systems (OS) send out updates all the time. Some you never notice as they may just be bug fixes or some small feature update. Some are nice because our phones and computers can now do things it couldn’t before. But some are aggravating - especially when we didn’t expect it and we’re use to our daily workflow.

The difference in these two examples is referred to as the User Interface (UI) and the User Experience (UX). Put simply, the UI is what you actually see and touch in regard to the menus, icons, tabs, and more. The UX is how the system actually functions. Is it easy and intuitive or is it confusing and difficult? Ultimately, can you find what you need and do what you need to do?

Let’s compare this to your home’s kitchen. The UI is how the kitchen looks. The UX is whether or not the dishwasher is too far from the sink, or if you can find a utensil without opening half the drawers. While each has its place and use case, the distinction actually matters. Software companies always update their systems, and sometimes it’s a UI update, but sometimes it’s a UX update. These two can absolutely go hand in hand, combining to make things easier for users.

Across our computing world, I want to break up two areas into two categories. To start, let’s talk about desktops vs mobile. In the desktop world, the two main players are Apple’s Mac OS and Microsoft’s Windows OS. In the mobile world, the two main players are Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. I know there are others, but I am only discussing these two as the role of comparing UI and UX is pretty clear between the two.

Both of Apple’s OS’s are the same story (generally). There is one polished UI across their system, there is one way to do something within the OS itself or within the settings, and there are few (if any) ways to customize the look and feel. With this comes consistent and a predictable UI and UX. To keep the food analogy going, Apple UI and UX is like going to a restaurant where the menu is limited and substitutions are not allowed.

Lumping Windows and Android together, both systems allow the user multiple ways to do the same thing. For example, a setting can be changed within the Settings app, the control panel, a right-click menu, keyboard shortcut (opn desktop), or even with root level commands from the coding backend of both systems. This UI and UX could be compared to a restaurant’s buffet where everyone is getting the same things, but the portions differ and everyone’s plate looks different.

It’s important to note that neither approach is better for either the UI or the UX. This is where user preference usually helps with decisions. I’ve talked about my past conversion to the Apple System (Confessions of an Apple Convert: Embracing the Blue Bubble), and even wrote a recent post about Is Your Ecosystem Making Your Decisions for You? Sometimes, one or two apps, regardless of the UI or UX make that decision for you, too.

The Apple process of one “one way to do X” works for some because there are no decisions to make and “things just work.” The Windows/Android process of “do things multiple ways” and “make it look and function however you want” allows people to tinker and argue that “things work better.” Comparing flexibility vs consistency is probably the biggest argument when trying to decide. Which, no one can make that decision for you.

UI (looks) and UX (behavior) both work together to create systems that look and work for you the way you want them to. The look of your system matters, and the way it function matters, but working together is the sweet spot we look for when choosing. But remember, whichever system we do choose, we are also giving up some level of looks, function, or consistency.

So the next time your phone or computer updates, pay attention to what actually changed. Did it just get prettier? Did it become easier to use? Did it hide something you used all the time? Did it give you more control, or did it quietly take control away? Because at the end of the day, the best system is not the one that helps you do what you want to do without thinking about it.

🗞️ ICYMI: Meta

Last month, the New York Times reported that Meta created a Prediction Market app. It was then revealed that they were in talks to acquire Kalshi but deal fell apart. But that’s just one subsidiary of Meta. Their messaging app, WhatsApp, just opened username reservations. Make sure you claim your handle before it's taken. On their Instagram app, they developed an AI image model in bid to court advertisers and subscribers. The kicker here is anyone on the platform can reuse your images to create an AI image. Make sure you opt out of this new Instagram feature if you choose to do so.

🗞️ ICYMI: OpenAI

If you subscribe to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, you should be seeing a new interface soon if not already. This week, OpenAI released a new ChatGPT tool for all things work related. This combined their previously separate app, Codex, and now includes sites, scheduling tasks, and more capable Agents. You can also use the app’s voice feature to hold a conversation between two speakers using different languages while ChatGPT translates in realtime. This update includes a launch of GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, and Luna, their most intelligent model, their balanced model, and fastest model.

🗞️ ICYMI: Streaming TV and Games

Streaming services are ever changing and always adding and removing content. However, it appears that Netflix Is Exploring Live TV and Bundles as It Struggles to Keep Viewers Hooked. Not sure how that’s ever been an issue, as there doesn’t appear to be a decline in viewership. Among others, Netflix and Sony Are Reportedly Circling Letterboxd. This would give either entity “a social network and an audience research tool.” Sony’s other revenue stream, PlayStation, confirms end of physical games. The gaming world is about to change, because Xbox is also working on a way to digitize your physical game collection while they are Cutting More Than 3,000 Jobs in Xbox Division. In other sad gaming news, a fan favorite - Mario Kart Tour will shut down later this year, with no offline mode planned.

😎 POTW: Travel Picks

While most summer trips may be winding down, I wanted to share some travel picks before it got too late. Enjoy these whether you’re traveling by car, plane, or just planning for next summer’s trip!

• ‎Are we nearly there? App

• From fairytale towns to secret islands: Europe’s hidden gem travel destinations

• Google Flight Simulator

• Is There a Best Day to Buy Airline Tickets?

• Makemydrivefun.com

• These Odd Travel Hacks Actually Work in 2026: Yogurt, Hats, Maps, & More

• Why road trips are good for you, according to science

📦 Featured Product

Looking for something to help keep you focused, ease restlessness, or just something to play with in your hands while you’re thinking or simply just sitting at your desk or on your couch? How about a simple fidget toy? Here are some that click, spin, rotate, and more!

• Fidget Toys Sensory Rings

• Keyboard Fidget Toy

• Picking Fidget Toys

• Sensory Stones for Stress Relief

• theFube Infinity Cube

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: Why Is AI So Good at Some Problems and So Bad at Others?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Price Hikes
😎 Pick of the Week: Presidential Picks
📦 Featured Product: Casio Ollee Watch

📝 Why Is AI So Good at Some Problems and So Bad at Others?

Have you ever tried to use AI and just weren’t happy with the result? Or maybe you use it often and think sometimes it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and other times an 8-year-old could give you a better answer? And they wouldn’t be a sycophant about it. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of AI chatbots excessively agree with me and always saying what it “expects I want to hear.”

With all of the changes in AI across the many companies involved creating their own chatbots, what they can and can’t do change pretty frequently - even in their responses to the same question or prompt given to a previous model. However, regardless of updates, I’ve noticed that AI thrives in one of two areas that couldn’t be further apart.

First, AI, also referred to sometimes as Generative AI, excels in ‘generating’ new things. This includes all forms of writing, graphics (images and video), audio, code, and even idea generation. The kicker here - is this only revolves around things that have no correct answer. Meaning everything is creates should be (at some level) sufficient for what the user wants but is subjective on “how good” it actually is.

At this end of its parameters, one could argue AI is a form of an artist. However, all artist (regardless of the medium) have a personality, and success is very subjective as mentioned. AI also has a personality (as do artists), but it can be easier for a human to sniff out. Here, AI doesn’t have to produce the correct answer, only a useful answer.

On the other end of the spectrum, AI excels (generally) in taking in a ton of information, distilling it out, and providing an answer when there is only one answer to give. The kicker here - is it needs all information, or at least as much access as possible to all information, required to make a decision. Meaning every answer it gives should be very black and white.

At this end of its parameters, one could argue it’s not even AI, it’s just a robot blindly completing a task. And this is probably a good take, but in this case, AI is doing a lot more compute than just [if this is X, then the answer is Y]. Here, I would argue that AI is literally doing the same exact thing a human could do, it would just take a human weeks, months, if not years. Pattern recognition falls under this category, too.

Where AI falls short and gets things wrong more often than not, is in the middle. If it doesn’t have all of the required information, or if there are multiple (potentially) correct answers, AI can struggle to provide a great response. These types of scenarios require tradeoffs, considering intuition, values, a level of uncertainty, and most important - judgement. Example scenarios that fall here may have multiple right answers. And in most cases, there also aren’t an unlimited amount of answers, either.

You know who else struggles with scenarios that have multiple correct answers if information is missing? Humans! The difference is that humans have lived experiences, understand empathy, accountability, intuition, and much more.

So be careful when prompting, and make sure you know what you’re actually asking. Are you wanting the one correct answer, some generated answers, or are you possibly requesting a level of judgement. For friendly reminder, check out one of my older posts about How to Make AI Work for You with the Power of Prompting.

AI performs best at the two ends of the spectrum, when there are countless acceptable answers, or when there’s only one. The hardest problems aren’t typically either one of those. They’re the ones in the middle. And these decisions require complete information, competing priorities, and human judgment. Those are the scenarios where AI should be remembered as a tool for helping you get to the right answer - for you, and for your specific scenario.

🗞️ ICYMI: AI Updates

While I wrote about how often AI changes in regard to prompting and its response, something else that also changes is the teams behind them. One of the most popular companies, OpenAI, is known to make significant changes, and pull from competitors. First up, they hired Apple’s Vision Pro and Smart Glasses Chief, then the Google Gemini co-lead Noam Shazeer.

Unrelated, but Google makes Gemini’s personalized image generation free for all US users - something you may want to take advantage of if you do not have an AI subscription elsewhere. The Nano Banana image generator is a popular tool across the web consistently putting out great work that many people talk up.

🗞️ ICYMI: Price Hikes

In a long list of price increases across the tech world, Apple announces significant price increases for MacBooks, iPads, more. Noting the surge in pricing for the costs of memory and storage chips, the price for Macs, iPads, and other hardware rose anywhere from 15%-25%. Missing from the price adjustments is the ever-popular iPhone lineup. While time will tell, in the short term, Apple stock sunk 6% after the price hikes.

On the gaming side, Microsoft Announces Significant Price Rises for Xbox Series X and S, while discontinuing the highest storage model. One of the most anticipated games of the decade, Grand Theft Auto VI, is finally allowing preorders for a November 19 release date. And it’s topping the charts for pricing, too. Sure, you can purchase the Standard Edition for $79.99, but without spending the extra $20 for the Ultimate Edition, you will literally be locked out of physical locations within the game.

😎 POTW: Presidential Picks

As the U.S. continues to celebrate its semiquincentennial, how about some presidential picks?

• 7 Priceless Facts About the U.S. Mint

• Presidential Fitness Test: Does It Teach Kids How to Exercise?

• The 5 Most Unusual Morning Routines of U.S. Presidents

• The U.S. Presidents’ Favorite Books

📦 Featured Product

After talking with a few readers, I think one of my previous “products” that was called out in the tech headlines deserves it’s own product showcase. An electrical engineer I saw on Reddit developed the Ollee Watch. It’s a circuit board you can buy to turn your classic Casio watch into somewhat of a smartwatch. It works well with the Casio F91W Series, among a few others. It includes extra features from a normal Casio like snooze alarms, sunrise/sunset tracking, steps tracking, and an *astericks* version of heart rate and temperature. There are some caveats to those two. It has up to 10 months of battery life at normal use, with over 3 years in power save mode and motion sensors off. Notifications are planned, but no release time set yet.

In this newsletter:

📝 Post: How Do Data Centers Keep Your Files Safe?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Meta Updates
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: TV Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Sports Picks
📦 Featured Product: World Cup Merch

📝 How Do Data Centers Keep Your Files Safe?

Almost everyone who owns a phone or uses a computer has heard one of the following statements:

• “Back up your files.”

• “Store things in the cloud.”

• “Use the 3-2-1 method.”

Even I’ve shared that multiple times before. I’m obviously biased, but one of the better posts I think I’ve made on this topic is Understanding Where Your Data Lives and How the Cloud Works. But just knowing how and where these companies are storing our data is only one part of the problem. We can assume our data is stored on hard drives, and (after reading the above post) we understand our data may be split across multiple data centers.

But what happens when hard drives go bad? Because they do go bad…

Data centers use a “best practice” in the computer world that you may also use at home should you so choose. It can’t be utilized on laptops (typically), but it can and is used on Desktops and personal External hard drives all the time. Your servers used in your work/office probably utilize this method, too.

It’s a process known as RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). And the process is in the name. A hard drive is also called a disk, and by having multiple, independent disks, the array provides redundancy.

Now you may be thinking, “I will NEVER use this…” and you’d probably be right. But I still think understanding what’s happening on the backend of things is important. Maybe you get a trivia question right one day, too! ****

As mentioned, most of these hard disks in use will fail. They have a lifecycle based on a number of reads and writes, but may also fail in general due to power surges/loss. Just like anything, they are getting better, faster, and cheaper, but again - they can and will still fail over time.

Well, believe it or not, these data centers also backup everything. At least for the most part. Each data center approaches it in a different way, but for the most part, they’re all backing up their data. The RAID process allows multiple ways of backing up or storing data across multiple disks, not just one. This provides redundancy or speed through two main ways known as Striping and Mirroring.

Striping splits data across two (or more) drives. It’s faster to access, but doesn’t always provide proper redundancy. A perk here, though, is by using multiple drives and splitting the data, you have the same amount of storage space that can (theoretically) be accessed in twice the speed. The main downside here is if you lose one drive, you lose everything.

Mirroring puts the same data on two (or more) drives. This means if one (or more) drives go bad, you can still have 1 good copy. However, you will only get the total storage space of one drive.

For both striping and mirroring, both all drives must be identical in brand, model, size, and speed.

Where this becomes more powerful though, is combining striping and mirroring together. It does require more drives, but when dealing with a server or larger external storage drive, they will typically have 5 or more drives in use. The more drives in use, the more that can go bad at the same time. When a drive does go bad, techs can swap out a new drive for a bad one, and they system will automatically adopt it and set it up to work with the others.

By utilizing RAID, and even other systems, data centers can provide massive amounts of storage, quickly, with redundancy. As mentioned before, these data centers are not only using RAID locally at each center, they are utilizing a physical version of RAID by having your data stored across multiple centers across the nation.

The next time you upload files to the cloud, remember that multiple hard drives in multiple locations are working together to make sure it is backed up when one of the drives eventually fails. Cloud storage isn’t reliable because hard drives never fail, it’s reliable because engineers designing these data centers expect them to.

🗞️ ICYMI: Meta Updates

As Meta integrates AI and LLMs across their platforms in many ways, it seems they are stepping back usage internally. They have decided to ‘pause’ the employee tracking program after it let the whole company see sensitive data. However, in other AI news, they are planning to release AI-powered prediction market app. It will be interesting to see what a final product looks like and if it’s using setiment across their apps to change the market.

On the hardware side, Meta Launches Cheaper Own-Brand Smart Glasses For $299. These appears to essentially be their version of the RayBan Meta Glasses. Perhaps their non-compete is over, and they’re allowed to sell their own? Either way, you can purchase them on the Meta Store or on Amazon.

🗞️ ICYMI: TV Headlines

• AI Goes Hollywood: Google, A24 Strike $75M AI Deal for Filmmaking Tools

• Nearly Half of LG Smart TV Apps Are Laced with Proxies

• Instagram looks to take on streaming services with longer-form, episodic and live formats for its TV app

• The Steam Machine is now available for purchase

😎 POTW: Sports Picks

• Art But Make It Sports: Epic Matchups Where Art and Sports Collide is a coffee table book with “a clever and laugh-out-loud art history twist” matching your favorite sports moments with their fine art doppelganger.

• Interested in watch live baseball games, but don’t necessarily subscribe to services that show each game? Well, you can try out MLB.TV or catch pitch by pitch rendered in a pixel art with Ribbie: 8-bit baseball.

• Play 82-0 and see if you can construct a historical NBA roster capable of achieving a perfect undefeated season. Choose one player from a random team from a random decade until you complete your team.

• Watching the World Cup and still confused a bit? Check out this video on The World Cup Explained For Beginners or Every position in soccer.

📦 Featured Product

To help celebrate the FIFA World Cup happening across the US, Canada, and Mexico, here’s some licensed World Cup merch:

• Adidas FIFA World Cup 26 Trionda Host Nation League Soccer Ball

• LEGO Editions FIFA World Cup Official Trophy Building Set

• Nike Men’s World Cup T-Shirt

• Official FIFA World Cup Refillable Squeeze Water Bottle

• Pelican M50 Micro Case