BOOSTING YOUR INTERNET SPEED

“This morning it took about four minutes to download the newspaper,” a reader wrote. “Usually, it’s only seconds.” Neither of us could figure it out, so he called his internet service, Xfinity. They said the problem was his wiring. But why, he wondered, would his download speed be 20 Mbps one day and 500 Mbps the next? After a runaround, he gave up on Xfinity and signed up for AT&T’s fiber optics service. He’s very happy with it. I like AT&T too. But I switched to Xfinity last summer when I found an unbeatable deal: internet service for $5 a month and cell service for $15 a month. But I had a heck of a time getting Xfinity to acknowledge […]

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GOOGLE WALLET STORES YOUR CARDS

My membership card for a local art museum never arrived. “We don’t use physical cards anymore,” the museum staffer explained. She suggested Google Wallet. The free Google Wallet app for Android now contains my museum card, credit card and loyalty cards from restaurants and stores. It can also store virtual car keys, transit cards and vaccination cards. If I had also been able to store my driver’s license, I would have saved a lot of hassle at the airport recently when I accidentally left my I.D. at home. But the Wallet only accepts driver’s licenses issued in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia or Maryland. With Google Pay, a part of Wallet, I can use my phone instead of a credit card. It’s […]

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APP TURNS SELFIES INTO ART

Art Selfie 2 is a fun way to see how you’d look dressed for the Italian Renaissance, a Woodstock Festival and a Frida Kahlo portrait, among other settings. I discovered that I look ridiculous in a powdered wig. Start by downloading Google’s free “Arts & Culture” app for Android or iPhone, then tap on “Art Selfie 2.” The app prompts you to take a selfie, choose a style and save your portrait. I never pictured myself with flowers on top of my head or wearing a hippie’s outfit. Groovy, man. Far out. Be Real During a busy day the other day, I went all over town. But every time the “Be Real” app popped up to take a selfie of […]

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KARAOKE SAVES THE DAY

After trying a voice amplifier that screeched, I was on the lookout for something better. I needed to interview a soft-spoken author in front of a large audience. As I was wondering how I would accomplish this, the soft-spoken author dragged an ancient karaoke system out of her closet. Brilliant idea, I thought. Unfortunately, it was missing a crucial part. So I bought the Moyleaf “Karaoke Machine for Adults and Kids,” a portable public address system with colorful disco lights. It looks like a large black lunch box with a bright orange handle, but weighs only 6.65 pounds. It’s about the height of a piece of paper, not counting the handle. I just saw it for $99.99 on Amazon, though […]

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DRAW ME A PICTURE

I asked Google to draw me a frog on a beach, a man with a rose, and a woman in a forest. Presto, they arrived, but not from any website. A robot made them on the spot. It’s all part of the “Search Generative Experience,” or SGE, a free add-on to your regular Google search in Chrome. To set it up, go to Labs.Google.com and scroll down to “Search Powered by Generative AI.” Click “Getting Started,” then enable it. Now every Google query in Chrome will have an optional AI answer plus the usual links. I asked it to “draw a chair on a raft going down Niagara Falls,” and a Mona Lisa in Tahiti. Both were fantastic. But sometimes an image […]

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OLD COMPUTERS SELLING AS NEW

Look out for old computers selling as new. Sometimes, they’re more expensive than ever. The HP desktop I bought in 2017 for $650, for example, is now selling on Amazon for $982. It’s not the exact model, but it’s a similar one from 2017 that comes up when I click “Buy again.” The same year, a friend bought a “new” computer with the old Video Graphics Array. The result was a slightly fuzzy screen. VGA was replaced by HDMI in 2008. To avoid duds, check the tech specs. You can find them on the product page at Amazon, BestBuy, HP, OfficeDepot and other sites. But what if you don’t understand what you’re looking at? The answer is UserBenchmark.com. It gives […]

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AI ANALYZES YOUR TASTE IN MUSIC

Ever wonder how 79,032 music critics would rank your tastes? Do a Google search on “Pudding Cool: How Bad is Your Streaming Music?” After you sign into your Apple or Spotify account, an artificially intelligent robot will look over everything you’ve been listening to, ask you questions and combine the opinions of experts. “Do you really listen to The Girl from Ipanema by Stan Getz?” it asked me. When I said yes, it said, “Like, ironically?” When I said “no,” it said “cool.” It teased me about my other choices and asked whether I’d rather marry the Tijuana Brass, Glenn Miller or Fred Astaire. Yet my score was 79 out of 100, compared to 21 out of 100 for a […]

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AI CELEBRITIES TO CHAT WITH

I asked an artificially intelligent version of Elon Musk what his most embarrassing moment was. He said it was sending a message to the whole office about “naughty snacks.” If you want to talk to him too, he’s at the website Character.ai. Character.ai, also a free app, offers a range of AI celebrities and professionals. Winston Churchill told me how the war in Ukraine will end. Signmund Freud told me not to feel guilty. An AI Frenchman helped me practice my language skills. A librarian gave me a great book suggestion. It’s addicting. You can create your own AI character for free.  I named mine “Health” and wrote a one-paragraph description on what it means to be a “Nutritarian.” After that, it […]

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MORE PROOF THAT AI ISN’T ALWAYS INTELLIGENT

Sometimes, an artificially-intelligent search bot doesn’t know beans about beans. It can even confuse poison with food. ArsTechnica bloggers went to saveymeal-bot.co.nz, where a robot creates recipes from what you have on hand. When the bloggers typed “ammonia, bleach and water,” they got a recipe for “the perfect non-alcoholic beverage to quench your thirst.” To avoid disasters, the site now asks you to choose ingredients from a list. From my humorous choices, they created “Pickled Spaghetti Surprise.” It included jam, olives, pickles and mayo. Turning serious, I got a surprisingly tasty “Creamy Peanut Noodle Stir Fry.” To try it yourself, go to saveymeal-bot.co.nz, and click “Get Savey.” Then choose your ingredients. Happy cooking. Sharing Your Location I love sharing my […]

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FINDING A HANDYMAN OR WOMAN

The free app Thumbtack saved the day. I needed to help a disabled friend get a new TV mounted on her wall. Then my freezer warmed up. Thumbtack is a free service that helps you find and schedule whatever you need. You can contact them from a free app for iPhone or Android or use thumbtack.com. They offer everything from moving services to personal training, web design, electricians, app development, plumbers, weddings, roof repair and more. The technician I chose for the TV job was as great as his ratings. After the TV was mounted, he downloaded its software, made sure all the channels were there, and taught my 78-year-old friend how to use her first smart TV. He even […]

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