Summary Few people run chatbots on their own machines because cloud-based chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and other AIs seem good enough. However, in my experience, there are great reasons to run local chatbots on your own computer. 1Enhanced Privacy When I started running a chatbot on my PC, I felt free to carry more personal conversations compared to commercial options like ChatGPT or Gemini. Those chatbots, at least by default, record and analyze every single conversation you have with them....

Google continues to improve Keep, its note-taking app, with small updates and tweaks to its features. Keep isn’t exactly high-profile, but it’s come a long way in a decade, and there are signs that Google is taking it more seriously than ever. Real-Time Note Cooperation (2014) Over a decade ago, Keep borrowedreal-time collaboration from Google Docs, although you might be unaware it even exists. Having pioneered real-time collaboration with its word processor, the company extended the concept to many other products, including the humble note-taker....

Quick Links Google Maps can be your best friend when traveling to an unfamiliar place, but the app is not just about showing directions to the destination on your itinerary. Google has packed in many more features to help you navigate smoothly while managing your travel. Along with apps for my travel itinerary, music, and photography needs, Google Maps is a must-have during my vacations and trips. Here are my favorite Google Maps features that help me do more than find directions....

Quick Links If you’re a Linux user who also rocks an iPhone you probably noticed Apple doesn’t go out of its way to integrate with the Linux system. Thanks to KDE Connect, you can make them play nice with each other. Here’s how to get started. What Is KDE Connect? KDE Connect is a program for your Linux PC that connects to a companion app for iPhone you candownload from the App Storeto integrate your devices....

Quick Links Summary Excel has always been known for crunching complex data, producing detailed accounts, creating dynamic charts and graphs, and using in-depth formulas. But why not make your spreadsheet a little more lighthearted by using emojis within your formulas? You canuse Conditional Formatting in Excelto add symbols or colors based on a cell’s value, but, unfortunately, this doesn’t offer the use of emojis. So, to get around this rather annoying shortcoming, let’s look athow to use the IF functionto do just that....

Quick Links Beat Saber users are not limited to just official music packs but can add custom songs to the game. Since the process can be complicated, follow our step-by-step guide to add custom songs to Beat Saber forPC VR and Quest headsets. Why Do People Add Custom Songs to Beat Saber? Beat Saber is one of the most successful VR games that has defined the rhythm game genre since its release....

Quick Links Finding and installing software on Ubuntu Linux can be confusing at first. This guide will show you how to install, update, and remove any application you may need on your Ubuntu system! The Ubuntu Software Ecosystem Ubuntu’s software ecosystem is built around repositories, which are centralized locations that contain pre-verified software packages. Ubuntu’s software repositories are separated into four distinct categories: Repositories ensure software stability and security, creating the underlying infrastructure that makes the Ubuntu Software Center possible....

Summary If you regularly deal with remote volumes like a web server, you can get tired of interacting purely using a command line. Fortunately, you can use SSH functionality to mount a remote instance volume on your Mac and interact with it using Finder as if it were a local volume. Here’s how. Why Bother Doing This? So, why would someone want to use these tools to mount remote (internet) volumes in this fashion?...

Summary Unexpected distractions and random people can find their way into your photos, spoiling the shot. But thanks to a feature called Clean Up in your Mac’s Photos app, you’re able to remove these undesirable elements in a few clicks. Here’s how it works. What Is Clean Up and Which Macs Support It? Clean Up is an Apple Intelligence-powered tool available in the Photos app that lets you remove unwanted objects or people from photos with ease....

Summary We’ve all parked our cars on the street or in a random parking garage and then struggled to find it a few hours later. Don’t get caught wandering around tapping the button on your key fob, hoping to find it. Instead, use Google Maps to save and find your parked car quickly. Millions of people use Google Maps, yet many still don’t know about this nifty feature that has been available for years....

Summary Spotify is a convenient, popular, and accessible platform, making it the go-to place for me and countless other people for all our music needs. However, it turns out I’m doing myself a huge disservice as a music lover by only listening on Spotify (and you might be, too). Spotify Does Not Have the Best Audio Quality Spotify has been my sole method of listening to music and podcasts ever sinceYouTube started pushing ads more aggressively....

Summary When I first heard about Opera GX and the idea of a “gaming” browser, I was intrigued enough to try it out and see what the hype was about. Despite all the extra features and gimmicks, I ended up missing Chrome enough to go back to it anyway. What Opera GX Excels At Opera GX is not without some neat perks like the built-in release calendar for upcoming games and seamless integration of browser plugins that are easier to turn on and off than on Chrome....

Quick Links Before I discovered Microsoft Drop, if I wanted to transfer something from my PC to my phone (or vice versa), I would email it to myself or scour the many files on my OneDrive cloud. While these methods do work, they’re far less easy and efficient than using Drop. I use Drop daily—I even used it to send screenshots from my phone to my computer for this article, and it saved me so much time....