I used SurveyMonkey to get 28 responses to an online survey for members of my new book club. But it only showed me 25. If I had insisted on seeing all 28, it would have cost me over a thousand bucks.

A friend suggested the free Google Forms, which works great. Just like SurveyMonkey, it can create surveys, questionnaires and quizzes. It also gives you a link to send out by email, text or social media and tallies the results. Needing help, I asked ChatGPT how to improve the survey’s appearance. That worked.

Automatic Zippers

I recently returned a wetsuit because it had only one tiny zipper, located in the front, which made the suit tough to get into. A regular back zipper creates a bigger opening but is harder to reach. What if zippers zipped automatically?

The world’s largest zipper maker, Japan’s YKK, just announced a prototype that zips itself. It has a built-in motor and gear mechanism. Though long and thick, it’s designed for industrial use. Maybe clothes will have miniature versions someday.

Artificial Confusion

Google AI Overviews told me that the Communists did not work with the Islamists to foment the 1979 Iranian Revolution. But Microsoft Copilot said they did. ChatGPT said they didn’t, but Claude.ai said they did.  

In short, you can’t always trust AI. When a ZDnet reporter typed: “A duckdog never blinks twice,” Google assumed it was a common idiom. So it explained that a “duckdog” needs to keep focused. Later, it changed its mind. It said the saying was about anything so unusual or unbelievable that it’s almost impossible to accept, even when presented as fact. 

To test it, I typed “Don’t pet a turkey before Thanksgiving.” Google responded: “The saying ‘don’t pet a turkey before Thanksgiving’ is a popular way to discourage touching or handling turkeys before they are cooked, especially if you’re planning to eat them for Thanksgiving.” It had something to do with safety concerns, it said.

Duolingo Chess

I’m on a 227-day Spanish streak in Duolingo, which offers lessons in 42 languages for computer, phone and tablet. Now it is offering chess. 

Duolingo Chess is being tested by a small group of iPhone owners. In about five weeks, it will be available to a larger group of iPhones, then Androids. At the expert level, you could learn how to avoid a checkmate in tricky situations.  Beginners might need to show that they know how to move each piece correctly. To test your skills, a character named Oscar will play mini matches and full games with you.

It also offers lessons in math and music for iPhone and Android. To add music or math lessons, tap the flag in the upper left corner of the app.

Rewards for Loans

College kids can earn reward points for their student loan payments with a Bilt credit card from Wells Fargo. Bilt is known for offering rewards for rent payments.

Whether it’s a student loan or apartment rent, you get one point per dollar spent, and can use your points toward either of those payments. The card has no annual fee.

In the next few months, you can also earn points for dorm payments. Bilt is testing it at Baylor University, then expanding to 140,000 students in other colleges.

Google Map Trick

If you’re like me, you often feel disoriented when looking at a Google Map. So here’s a trick a friend taught me. Put your index finger and a thumb on the map and turn it until it’s facing the direction you are. This makes it easier to read.

Your TV Spies On You

A free Telly TV is supposed to arrive at my door “soon.”  The catch is, it will spy on me.

But Telly isn’t alone in that. Most smart TVs monitor your age and location, and log the shows you watch, without being free like Telly is. But LG’s new “ZenVision” takes the monitoring a step further, by tailoring ads to your beliefs and feelings. With that information, it places you into a category, such as family-centric, budget-minded, wellness maven, digital adopter or convenience seeker. 

According to ZDnet, to stop an LG TV from spying on you, go to settings, select “General,” then “System,” then “Additional Settings.” Now toggle off “Live Plus.” Next, while you’re still in Additional Settings, select “Advertising” and turn on the switch to “Limit Ad Tracking.” On other smart TVs, look for a setting that has something to do with automatic content tracking. But if you’re like me, you’ll skip it. I don’t mind tailored ads.

Robot News

The world’s smallest flying robot is smaller than a grain of rice and weighs less than a raindrop, or less than one thousandth of an ounce. Like a flying insect, it could wing its way through forests, disaster zones or deep into the crevises of a collapsed building, according to ZME Science. It was developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

Trends

Many teens now realize that they waste time on TikTok, Instagram and other sites.  According to a Pew Research Report cited by Engadget, 45 percent of teens say they spend “too much time” on social media, up from 27 percent in 2023. Forty-percent said that social media makes it hard to sleep, and 40 percent said it made them less productive.

 

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