Recently, I thought I got a Facebook friend request from a cousin, but it turned out to be her clone. Duped again.

After accepting that phony friend request, I noticed two red flags: First, I was her only friend. Second, the clone had only three posts.

When I typed her name into the Facebook search bar, I saw her real account listed after the fake one, so I immediately unfriended the faker. You might want to search for your own name to see if there are two of you.

“What should I do about it?” my cousin asked. Here are the steps to follow. Go to the fake account’s home page and click the three horizontal dots near the word “Message.” Then, on a phone, tap “Report profile.” On a computer, click “Find support or report.” As soon as I reported the fake, Facebook removed it.

Google’s Version of Artificial Intelligence

I prefer Google’s AI to ChatGPT. It gives you the gist of a topic in a few paragraphs, followed by the usual links.

You already have it on your phone if you have the Google app, otherwise you can install it. After you start up the app, tap “converse,” and type something into the search bar or use one of their examples.

On a computer, go to labs.google.com/search in Google Chrome and sign into your Google account. Then toggle the switch to the “on” position where you see the words “SGE Generative AI in Search.” From then on, you’ll see AI paragraphs at the top of every search.

If you prefer ChatGPT, there’s now an app for Android as well as iPhone. But whatever AI you use, keep in mind they’re not always right. In one of Google’s examples, for instance, they say that the average cost of self-publishing is $2000, but Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is free. You only pay the printing costs on the author copies you order.

Getting Wired

In my experience, only the expensive Bluetooth headsets sound as good in a phone conversation as the wired kind. So when I got a phone without a headphone jack, I briefly moaned. But it turns out all I needed was an adapter.  Look for one that says “Type C to Aux Audio Dongle Cable.” I got a two-pack for about $7 from Amazon.  Update: Big mistake. One broke in two days, the other one stopped working. I’m back to wireless headphones.

Kid Phones

Experts say that 71 percent of teens have a higher risk of suicide if they spend over five hours on their phone. The average kid teen spends over seven hours.

One way around that is to give them a basic smart phone from Gabb Wireless, which doesn’t have all those addicting features. Gabb’s $75 phone has no internet, social media or unsafe apps, just calling, texting and educational experiences. There’s also a premium version, made by Samsung for Gabb. It’s  $150 but is currently sold out. It adds photo sharing by text. I tested a Gabb a couple of years ago and liked it.

Cheap Internet Revisited

A reader asked how I managed to get internet service for $5 and phone service for $20. It all started at AllConnect.com.

When I typed in my address, AllConnect said that Xfinity had the best deal in my area. When I called, they said if I switched my cell service over to them, I could have internet service for $5 a month, as well as a free phone and cell service with a gigabyte of data for $20 a month. You may remember my horror stories getting it set up, but it finally worked out.

Where’s My Telly?

According to Dallas Lawrence, chief strategy officer for the big TV giveaway from Telly, all you have to do to get a $1000-plus TV for free is to fill out a survey after you install the free Telly app. It doesn’t matter what your income is, he says.

By the end of the year, Telly will have shipped out 500,000 free TVs, with millions more in 2024.

I haven’t gotten mine yet, though shipping began last month.

Just like all other modern TVs, a Telly collects data on your TV-watching habits. The only difference, Lawrence says, is that Telly is upfront about it and offers a free TV.  But Telly isn’t a charity, so perhaps they can only make money by sending TVs to those most likely to offer the kind of data that advertisers love to collect. The survey you fill out asks about your spending plans. I said I’d consider buying a car, but that was blue-sky thinking.

For the Birds

MerlinID is a free app that uses images of sound patterns to identify birdsong. It can recognize 10,315 species. But isn’t just smart. It’s good for you.

When researchers at three universities and the National Park Service asked students to identify birds by their sounds, the participants began to experience less pain, stress, and mental fog, according to a report by ZMEScience.

Battery Life

 “CoconutBattery” is a free app for measuring the health of your Mac, iPhone or iPad battery.

The Plus version, for $14, gives you a lot of extra info. Or you could just go to “Settings”  tap “Battery,” then click “Battery Health & Charging.”

Internuts

• BarbieSelfie.ai turns your photo into a Barbie poster. Over 13 million people have used it.
• AirNow.gov reports on air quality. Might be handy, before you take a trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed under: AI, apps, batteries, electronics, environment, Internet, TV