Tech Tips

Photographer: Iñaki del Olmo | Source: Unsplash AI companies are destroying books because carefully edited books provide high-quality training material for large language models. In a widely reported case involving Anthropic, the company bought millions of print books, including antique books, removed their bindings, scanned the pages, and discarded the paper copies. The result was a searchable digital library that could be used to improve AI models such as Claude. The important detail is that this story is not simply about "AI burning books." It is about a collision between three ideas: the commercial value of high-quality training data, the legal rules around copying and format shifting, and the cultural value of physical knowledge. A book can be successfully digitized while its original artifact is permanently lost, even when it is a decent print or a durable hardback copy. That distinction matters to authors, publishers, librarians, historians, businesses, creators, and ...

ElevenLabs Guide: Best AI Voice Generator for Text‑to‑Speech, Voice Cloning, Dubbing, and Voice Changer Optimize your content with natural‑sounding AI narration and professional-quality voice output. This practical guide explains how to use ElevenLabs for text‑to‑speech (TTS), Instant Voice Clone, long‑form productions in ElevenLabs Studio, and advanced tools like Voice Changer and AI Dubbing. Key takeaways (TL;DR) ElevenLabs is an AI voice generator for realistic text‑to‑speech, voice cloning, long‑form narration, podcasts, and multilingual dubbing. Fine‑tune delivery with Speed, Stability, Similarity, and Expressiveness controls for human‑like pacing, accuracy, and emotion. ElevenLabs Studio manages scripts, characters, multiple voices, and line‑by‑line edits without re‑generating entire projects. Voice Changer enables simple voice conversion from existing audio; Dubbing translates and re‑voices while preserving emotion and timing. Create downloadable audio and MP3 audio files for vi...

Photographer: Markus Winkler | Source: Unsplash Open source is more than a way to build computer software. It is a set of values centered on freedom, transparency, collaboration, and user control. In a world shaped by artificial intelligence, cloud computing platforms, and large technology companies, these ideas matter more than ever. They help people understand who controls the tools they use, where their data lives, and whether they can change or move their digital work. This guide explains the open source definition in simple terms. It also explores the difference between proprietary software and open-source technology, the concept of digital landownership, and why the open-source philosophy is becoming important for individuals, developers, creators, and small businesses. What is open source? Open source refers to software whose source code is available for people to inspect, use, modify, and share under the terms of a license. The source code is the set of instructions that tells...

NotebookLM is designed to feel like a private “AI research assistant” that only reads the contents of what you upload. That’s mostly true, but “private” isn’t the same as “confidential.” The gap matters if you’re thinking about uploading personal identifiers, customer files, or regulated documents. This guide breaks down Google’s stated policies in plain language, then turns that into a practical “safe to upload vs don’t upload” framework. Private vs confidential: the mental model that prevents mistakes Here’s the safest way to think about NotebookLM: Private means your sources (and their contents) aren’t publicly visible by default, and Google says they aren’t used to directly train its foundational models unless you provide feedback. ( support.google.com ) Confidential means you can upload it without worrying about human review, accidental sharing, retention windows, cross-service handling, or policy edge cases. NotebookLM can be private and still be a bad place for confidential ...

Introduction If you’re about to spend four figures on a new phone or laptop, pause. For most people, the “latest and greatest” delivers tiny gains at massive markups. And if what you really want is a device that feels fast, lasts all day, and doesn’t stress you out—there’s a smarter move: buy refurbished . Refurbished tech (when it’s done right) delivers 90–95% of the real-world experience for a fraction of the price. It’s also one of the easiest ways to save money without “downgrading your life”—especially if you’re willing to buy used computers that have been professionally checked and warrantied. If you want a quick win before you buy anything, start here: these tips to speed up your iPhone and Mac without buying new hardware often make an “old” device feel surprisingly new again. This guide breaks down why the upgrade treadmill exists, what “refurbished” actually means, how to buy safely, and where the biggest savings usually are (including refurbished laptops online ). Why you ...

The good news: in most cases, you can get a noticeable speed boost without buying a new device. These are some of the best ways to tackle slow performance issues without guesswork. If you’re also running iOS 26’s new visual style, you may want to check out my take on the practical fixes in iOS 26.1 quality-of-life improvements —some UI tweaks (especially around animations and visual effects) can make an older iPhone feel dramatically more usable. A quick mindset shift: speed is usually one of three problems Most slowdowns come from: Not enough free storage (your device can’t “breathe,” especially when you’re near full storage) Too many background tasks (CPU/RAM constantly busy) Aging batteries or buggy software (performance gets capped or unstable—sometimes the root cause is battery-related) Keep those three buckets in mind as you go through the checklist. Part 1: Revving up your iPhone 1) Update smart (and don’t rush major upgrades) Point releases (the smaller “dot” updates) often inc...