WEEKLY WHEATIES #2439
Email Tips, Messaging, TikTok, AI and AR, Travel
In this newsletter:
📝 Post: Email Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Inbox Clean and Spam Free
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Apple iOS18 and Android RCS
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: TikTok
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: AI and AR
😎 Pick of the Week: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
📦 Featured Product: JBL Go 4 Bluetooth Speaker
📝 Email Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Inbox Clean and Spam Free
Last week I talked about the different email platforms available and why you should consider paying for one. This week I’d like to talk about some tips and tricks around email, including some that take advantage of premium-type email services. These, in general, will help with spam, security, and overall ease of use with email as you use it more and more.
Since most online services today require an email to use before the signup stage is complete, this gives us a few ways to approach this. First off, you could use your generic email that you use for everything. You may even have a ‘junk’ email you use for, well, junk signups. Or at least things that require an email you don't want filling up your inbox. If you don’t have one of those, I guess I will suggest it, but there are also other options.
Second, depending on your email provider, you may use a period (.) in between letters of your email address. For example, JohnSmith@gmail.com could be used as John.Smith@gmail.com. However, you could also use J.ohnSmith, Jo.hnSmith, and so on… This gives you a few more possibilities, and also works with any email rules you have in place. This means if you have a rule that states: Any email incoming sent to ‘J.ohnSmith@gmail.com,’ send to the folder ‘Newsletters.’ You can get creative here in regards to where the period is in your email goes with which type of subscription (social, shopping, personal, work, etc).
While we’re on the topic of types of subscriptions, if you have your own domain (again, see #2438), most of these services allow custom emails and/or aliases. An alias is simply an alternate email address that forwards emails to another email. It does not have an inbox to receive or send from. For example, I own the domain WeeklyWheaties.com and use the email garrett@weeklywheaties.com. However, the alias email media@weeklywheaties.com is forwarded to my main email. Depending on the domain name service provider you use (Porkbun, GoDaddy, Hover, Namecheap) will dictate how aliases work. Some allow unlimited, some do not, and some require extra payment, among other setups.
If your main email is Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, Outlook, or something else, you may also have these aliases forwarded to those platforms. In some cases, when you reply to an incoming email, you may even have the option to “Reply as…” and choose the alias the original email was sent from. This will cost and is typically not a free feature. Also, depending on the service you choose, you may even use the alias to log in to your email client, providing one extra step of security.
Another way to stay safe when signing up for subscriptions is to use the name of the service as part of your first name or as your middle or last name. For example, your account could be Johnhu Smith, noting ‘hu’ for your Hulu account. This can be useful in the future should you ever receive spam mail from a user known as Johnhu. You would then know who leaked your email, prompting you to change your password for that service.
Next, consider using temporary emails when applicable. There are a few services that provide temporary or disposable email addresses. Essentially, these allow you to provide an anonymous account with a temporary inbox. This can be useful for sites that require an emailed code to log in or a link to click for verification. There are three popular ones I can suggest to use here:
If using one of these, the crazier and more unique you can make it, the better. This would yield a cleaner inbox and make it easier to sort through should you actually need to find an email sent here.
Lastly, don’t forget to practice Inbox Zero! What other email tips or tricks do you have?
🗞️ ICYMI: Apple iOS18 and Android RCS
In tandem with their new devices released for purchase, Apple also sent out updates to their phones supporting their latest software - iOS 18. It should be on by default, but if not, make sure to turn on “RCS Messaging” under the settings for the Messages App. If you’re on Android, consider using Google Messages as your default text app, as it supports RCS (from what I can tell, although it hasn’t worked with a few tests I tried). RCS (or Rich Communication Services) is simply the new texting protocol to take the place of the standard SMS and MMS we’ve become accustomed to over the years. Since non-Apple devices can’t use the iMessage protocol), this is the next best thing and will keep photos and videos from getting blurry, along with read receipts if turned on, among other updates (including being more secure).
🗞️ ICYMI: TikTok
A panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is still discussing whether the 170 million Americans using TikTok have a right to digital free speech and leave it as is, or if it boasts a national security threat and must find a non-Chinese buyer (at least for US databases) or be banned from all US app stores. The panel should have a ruling by December, which may still be appealed and eventually land at the Supreme Court. for review. Things are still up in the air legally and publicly as support is waning.
While their lawyers are working hard on this front, their hardware engineers are working on designing their own AI chips. On the software side of things, no one knows what will ever gain traction. With your fall cleaning (is that a thing?), consider joining the new Fridgescaping trend.
🗞️ ICYMI: AI and AR
New AI tools are always popping up it seems. I try not to overwhelm, as if that’s your thing, you can follow all the newly released AI tools through The Neuron newsletter, or browse a list at Insidr.ai. However, last week there were two tools that seem interesting enough to share. First up, EverArt can take an image and turn it into a short video. You can see some examples from their founder on X.com. Next, SocialAI is an app that mimics X/Twitter with one major exception - every user on the app is a bot. Meaning, you post things, and all comments received are AI generated. Check out some examples of what this looks like over on The Verge. Lastly, SnapChat released some new ‘Spectacles’ (not to be confused with their original Spectacles) that delves into the AR space. It looks like it’s only available for developers for now, but even when the consumer version is released, I say stay away. For now…
😎 POTW: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
And no, I’m not talking about the movie. Depending on your method of travel, here are some picks that may help!
First, when flying, make sure to be familiar with the survey results from YouGov of what’s appropriate etiquette. Don’t be afraid to pack your suits either - Thrillist asked fashion experts to share a few ways to pack a suit. If traveling by train, try to choose one of the most scenic train trips in the US.
Next, before taking off on a road trip, make sure you are prepared for a potential flat tire. Perhaps you’re in the market for a new car and can be persuaded by others? How about based on the best celebrity car commercials? Spoiler, but the best one isn’t listed the way you think it is… Then, you have to decide if you want to see the Coolest Attraction in Every State or the Weirdest Attraction in Every State.
Lastly, if you would like to travel globally, here are the 10 Cities with the Best Public Transportation. Alternatively, how about The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
📦 Featured Product
If you’re looking for a wireless speaker that is fairly small but packs some sound, consider the JBL Go 4 Bluetooth Speaker. This is the third iteration of this speaker, and it comes with some great updates - including pairing two or more for an even bigger sound. The battery life is great, it’s waterproof, dustproof, and connects extremely easily. Literally, turn it on, make sure your phone’s Bluetooth is connected, and it pairs within seconds.
