Techish

Mind your digital manners: 7 surprising deadly (or at least discourteous) digital sins in 2021

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***THIS STORY ORIGINALLY RAN IN USA Today*** It’s 2021, and by now most of us know it’s rude to talk on our cellphones in a public restroom, restaurant or at the checkout counter. We understand that texting and walking can be hazardous to your health – though it sure makes for hilarious GIFs (pronounced JIF, btw) and viral videos. We even totally get that WRITING IN ALL CAPS is the digital version of yelling. What about all the new rules on digital engagement? There are thousands of unspoken social norms most of us at least try to follow every day, but when it comes to our online world, it's tough to keep up. Here are seven – if not deadly, then at least discourteous – digital sins you ... Read more

11 easy ways to get extra income renting out your stuff

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Looking for a side gig or a source of income that does not require you to learn a new skill, get up at dawn, or work for The Man? Look around your life. There might be something you aren’t using much that could easily become a second income.  With the help of a little technology, you can rent out everything from your boat to your truck to your backyard. Some of it will earn you hefty returns. Here are 11 ways to easily make money renting out your own stuff. 1. Your driveway If you live somewhere where parking is a challenge, you can rent your driveway or parking spot on Curb Flip and make money off of that situation. You can rent the spot out all the time or only when you aren’t using ... Read more

Amazon’s newest gadgets (a robot!), features, and privacy promises:

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The robots are coming! And so is a new connected gadget or feature to every nook and cranny of your home — if Amazon has anything to say about it that is. Amazon just announced a treasure trove of new devices and services that they say "brings ambient intelligence to life." What's that even mean? According to Amazon PR, it  "unlocks new experiences for customers—enabling devices and services to work seamlessly together, offering more than any single product could." The company also promises these new features will let us all be more present with the people and things most important to us. But how do we feel about letting a tech giant into even more private places in our home? That's ... Read more

Are your bad manners on email, text, and social media pissing people off?

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So much socializing happens virtually these days – via text, email, chat, social media, and phone – that using these tools badly might be pissing people off. Those late-night texts, the rude comment you left on someone’s social media post, the text shortcut you are using wrong, even the angle of your camera in a Zoom call might be doing your reputation in your social world more harm than you know. “Technology makes communication so easy, immediate, and convenient — available anywhere, from airline seats to toilet seats — that it unfortunately also makes it just as easy and immediate to be unintentionally rude,” reads Emily Post's Manners in a Digital World: Living Well Online by Daniel ... Read more

iPhone 13: Buy now or wait?

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***A version of this article originally ran in USA Today*** We can count on a few things to happen every September: The start of a new school year. Leaves change color. A new iPhone – heck all the newest flagship smartphones – typically hit store shelves and land in the hands of eager early adopters. Those of us who cover tech can also count on getting the question, “should I upgrade now or wait?” The simplest answer is this: If you can afford it, then, by all means, preorder it now or get it in stores after Sept. 24. The iPhone 13 lineup is Apple’s best yet and sure to be the envy of many trying to "keep up with Phoneses." But, if your current smartphone still meets your needs, there’s ... Read more

How to get a disposable email address and phone number (and why you’ll want to)

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You know that moment when you want to claim that discount for giving up your email address but aren’t sure you want to subscribe to whatever SPAM that site plans to send you? Or when you want to send an email to someone but wish you could do it without giving them your email address? There is an easy solution to both of those dilemmas and many more: Get a burner email address. Or maybe you want to give out your phone number to that hottie you just met but fear you'll end up with a stalker if that goes south? Or maybe you are selling on Craigslist and don't want that random couch buyer to be able to call you later. A disposable phone number, one you can shut off at any time without losing ... Read more

This new tech is revolutionizing how we buy and sell homes!

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***See more of this article and video @ USA Today*** https://youtu.be/nNHSiaB0KD0 The first time my husband and I made an offer on a home in the spring of 2018, we agonized over it for days. The house itself was tiny – a two-bedroom, one bathroom, 1,000 square foot little postage stamp of an abode – but the yard was big by San Francisco Bay Area standards and we saw potential. The home was listed for $699,000. We made our offer: more than $200,000 over the asking price. (You read that right. And yes, it is totally crazy. And totally common where we live.) We crafted the perfect letter to the kind widower selling his lifetime home (a practice that's now discouraged because it can lead to ... Read more

All the new smartphones are coming – here’s when to upgrade

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With new phone season upon us – Apple's likely announcing new iPhones on September 13th and Samsung has been tempting us all with new phones for months — many people are asking the annual question: Should I buy a new phone? In order to help you answer this question, I have broken down the traits of various phone-buying personalities. I believe that it is the buyer that matters more than the specs, when it comes to all technology purchases. If you are someone who wants the latest high-end phone, you don't want to hear about replacing batteries on a junk-drawer clunker. But if you like to get the last drop of use out of your investment, you might want to know when you will run out of ... Read more

9 Apps That Improve Your Habits and Outlook

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Life is full of bad news and stress at the moment and most of that bad news and stress get into your brain through that rectangular oracle you keep in your pocket. You don't have to be bossed around by that phone, though. Instead of doom scrolling and getting angry and depressed, use a different app. Instead of opening Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, open an app that calms, instructs, informs, and makes your day — and your life and health — go more smoothly and with intention. It's a small change that can make a world of difference. Here are nine apps that will help change your outlook, improve your habits, and inch you towards health and happiness. 1.      Food Monster Free with ... Read more

TECHLIST: Best Back to College Gadgets and Gear To Keep Them Safe and Healthy

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***THIS STORY ORIGINALLY AIRED/RAN IN USA TODAY*** https://youtu.be/BZ4KN72SH2o My daughter is one of the millions of American college students heading back to campus in person this fall. She was a freshman when COVID-19 hit and shut the world down, cutting short her first year living with two other young women in a cramped 10-by-20 dorm room decorated with string lights, Polaroid snapshots, and the occasional half-empty pizza box or two. When she heads back this year, it's to an apartment near campus as a junior, a full 18-months since she last set foot inside a lecture hall. While I would send her back in a full biohazard bubble suit if I could, here are the tech tools and gadgets we ... Read more

TECHLIST: Ease back-to-school stress with high-tech masks, alarm clocks, math apps, more

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***THIS ARTICLE AND VIDEO ORIGINALLY RAN/AIRED IN USATODAY*** https://youtu.be/E2qsnJWoZw8 In what’s shaping up as one of the most anxiety-inducing back-to-school seasons yet, the buzz among parents everywhere has shifted from Number 2 pencils to N95 masks. With so many unknowns around the coronavirus and the delta variant still ahead — many parents are turning to new tech tools to help ease mounting worries. Online searches for “best kids masks for school” rocketed up some 250% in the past few weeks according to Google Trends. In addition to personal protective gear, parents are doubling down on devices such as Chromebooks and smart wearables, along with e-learning tools and ... Read more

Tech broke my brain, then a two week digital detox fixed it. (Mostly)

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**This story originally ran in USAToday**   Panic. FOMO. Relief. That pretty much sums up the wave of emotions I experienced in the first five minutes after realizing I couldn’t get a reliable cell or WiFi signal for nearly two weeks straight during my recent adventures in Alaska. I hadn’t planned to take a two-week break from all my gadgets and screens, or really even take any time off from work at all when I traveled home to the Kenai Peninsula – where I grew up and most of my family still lives. I make this journey home almost every summer – and every summer – I experience some glitch in the whole modern tech experience. Until recently, my parents' internet service was dial-up ... Read more

How to tell if someone is watching you through your webcam

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That tiny camera on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet – the one that’s pointing your direction all hours of the day and night – has been the MVP of COVID. Many of us have relied on webcams for work, connecting with family, and even going to school this past year and a half. But webcams can have a dark side, too. Cybercriminals use them – or, more likely, use our fear about what a stranger might see if someone hacks into them – all too often these days. The Better Business Bureau warns people about a sextortion scam that’s been around for a few years but hit people especially hard as the pandemic boosted webcam use. It often starts with an email claiming that some creep’s been spying on ... Read more

Are you addicted to technology?

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“Tiktok, Snapchat, and games like Candy crush are social engineering people to get addicted and stay addicted,” Jennifer lamented to me over text. “Can you show people — like my 21-year nephew who didn’t look up from his smartphone all day in the middle of Denali National Park — how he's been hoodwinked into this behavior and how his brain is helpless against it?” Social media, games, and much of the technology we use daily is engineered to make us like it and keep using it, as obsessively as possible. There are a lot of stories that detail how much effort tech companies go to when they build games, tools, and networks to make sure this is true. They are in the business of selling ... Read more

How to get your tech to read that book out loud for you

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Have you ever been deep into a book and had to put it down to go somewhere? What if you could get in your car, put on your sneakers, or close your eyes and fire up that book – right where you left off – and have your phone read aloud while you get where you need to go, get some things done, or just lie in a tub with a damp cloth over your your eyes? Sound good? You don't have to buy anything, probably. You can do this from your phone, your Kindle, or your Amazon Echo. Here’s how. Use Amazon's Whispersync The easiest, slickest, and most enjoyable way to have a book read aloud is to use Amazon’s Whispersync. You have to own both the Kindle version and the Audible version of the book ... Read more

Are apps charging your credit card and you don’t know it?

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Over a year ago, I signed up for a free trial for online fitness site NEOU. I canceled my account before the trial was up, but the company charged my credit card $50 anyway, signing me up for the annual plan at the new member’s price. I noticed the charge, complained, and they quickly refunded my money. A year later, though, the company charged me again. Again, I complained, and again, I got an apology and a full refund. I write about technology, so I probably sign up for more free trials than most people and systematically cancel them. But, still, I am frequently hit with unwanted charges to my credit card. This happens so often that I wondered if free trials are a scam designed to ... Read more