Fix it yourself.
Plain-English tech tips for computers, phones, Wi-Fi and staying safe online, plus Notes from G on service, AI and the grind. And when you'd rather have it done for you, we're here.
THE GRIND HAS STEPS
Why every great customer experience runs on a playbook, and the one I useEvery retail floor I've worked on had "steps of service," and they stuck with me more than almost anything else I learned. Why they're the most underrated thing in business, and the five steps I run every job on.
SafetyWhat Is Screen Time? A Plain-English Guide to Every Parental Control Switch (iPhone, iPad and Android)
What every Screen Time and Family Link setting actually does, in plain words, including the new iOS 27 controls. Plus the part almost nobody explains: who holds the controls, and what it really means to hand them over.
New DevicesNew Phone or Laptop? The Setup Checklist Before You Toss the Old One
Getting a new device for the holidays? Use this checklist to move your stuff over safely, lock it down and wipe the old one before you sell or give it away.
Notes from GTHE ROBOTS ARE ALREADY HERE
AI won't take your job, but it will absolutely take your busyworkEverybody's either scared of AI or selling it. Here's the view from someone who uses it every day and teaches small businesses how to, without the hype. Where it helps, where it'll burn you, and how to start.
Notes from GTHE FIX IS THE EASY PART
What 15+ years in tech support taught me about turning customers into promotersAnybody can reset a password. What people remember is how you made them feel while their stuff was broken. On service, patience and why the follow-up text matters more than the fix.
TroubleshootingFrozen Computer? Ctrl+Alt+Delete, Force Quit and When to Use Each
The spinning wheel, the "Not Responding" window, the screen that won't budge. Here's what to press on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, and in what order, so you don't lose your work.
ShortcutsCommand+C vs Control+C: Mac, Windows and Linux Explained
Same shortcut, different key. Why Macs use Command and PCs use Control, how to switch between them without thinking, and the one place where Control+C doesn't copy at all.
ShortcutsThe 12 Keyboard Shortcuts Worth Learning (and Why They Save You Hours)
Reaching for the mouse a hundred times a day adds up. These 12 shortcuts work almost everywhere, on Mac, Windows and Linux, and you can learn them in a week.
BackupsBack Up Your Phone and Computer in 10 Minutes
Lost phones, dead hard drives and spilled coffee happen. A backup is the difference between a bad day and losing years of photos. Here's how to set one up on any device.
Wi-Fi & NetworksSlow Wi-Fi at Home? 6 Fixes to Try Before You Call Anyone
Buffering, dead zones and dropped video calls. Most slow Wi-Fi comes down to a few common causes you can check yourself in about 15 minutes.
SafetyHow to Spot a Fake Tech Support Scam (Before It Costs You)
Scary pop-ups, surprise phone calls and "your computer is infected" messages. Here's how to tell a scam from the real thing, and what to do if you already clicked.
Internet & AppsWhat Is Reddit? A Plain-English Guide (From Someone Who's Been There Since 2010)
Reddit is the internet's biggest collection of communities, and one of the best places to get real answers from real people. Here's how it works, how to use it without getting overwhelmed, and why creating your own subreddit is so powerful.
Notes from GTHE GREAT DIGG MIGRATION
What I learned watching an entire internet community pack up and leave in one weekendIn August 2010, the biggest community on the internet walked out on Digg and moved to Reddit, almost overnight. I watched it happen in real time while doing onsite tech support in Santa Barbara. It's still the best customer-service lesson I know.
Notes from GALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US
A short, personal history of the meme, from Flash animations to Scumbag SteveBefore memes were a marketing strategy, they were inside jokes for people who spent way too much time online. A look back at four that defined the early internet, and what they taught me about how culture actually spreads.
Notes from GA/S/L?
I grew up in AOL chat rooms. That's exactly why I care about parental controlsEveryone in the AOL chat room was 23. Almost nobody actually was. A look back at the A/S/L days, and a plain guide to the parental controls on every device your kids use today.
Notes from GTHE ALGORITHM ISN'T OUT TO GET YOU
How Instagram actually decides who sees your posts, what works, and the myths that need to retireThirty hashtags, posting at 9:03 a.m., the dreaded shadowban. Most of what people believe about Instagram's algorithm is years out of date. Here's what Instagram has actually said about how it works now, and what to do about it.
Notes from GTHE FACEBOOK
From a Harvard dorm room to your neighbor's Marketplace couch, and what it's actually good for in 2026Everybody says nobody uses Facebook anymore. Billions of people still do, just not the way they used to. A short history, and a straight answer on what it's useful for now if you're selling a couch, running a business or looking for your next client.
Notes from GTHINK DIFFERENT
I never realized how much Steve Jobs was holding my hand along the wayA computer lab at Washington Elementary, a rainbow of iMacs, a launch day behind the glass at the AT&T store on La Cumbre and sixty days of training in a hotel ballroom. A thank-you to the guy whose stuff was there for every chapter.
Notes from GTHE HAIR WAS THE LOGO
What streamers taught me about visual identity, and why you need one if you want to be found onlineRainbow hair, a blue dye job and a headband, a mouse helmet. The people who stand out online almost always have one thing you recognize in half a second. That's visual identity, and anyone with an online presence can build one.
Notes from GTHE SAUCE
The formula Damizza gave us from day one, and why skipping a step always costs youConsistency and repetition build familiarity. Familiarity builds relationships. Relationships build trust. Trust builds teams, teams win games, and games won win championships. A Santa Barbara legend gave us that formula from day one, and I've seen it everywhere since.
Notes from GFOUR BURNERS
Family, friends, health and work, and why I've stopped trying to keep them all on highThe four burner theory says you can't run family, friends, health and work at full heat at the same time. I've been trying to practice it and find more balance. Here's what it is, what I'm learning, and the tech settings that actually help.
Small BusinessSet Up Google the Right Way for Your Business: Business Profile, Reviews, Search Console and Analytics Explained
Your Google Business Profile, reviews, website data and analytics should all live under one business account that you own. Here's what each tool does, how they connect, and the setup mistakes that cost small businesses customers.
SafetyPassword Managers, Explained: How to Stop Using the Same Password Everywhere
Reusing one password is the most common way regular people get their accounts taken over. A password manager remembers them all for you. Here's how they work, which one to pick and how to set one up in an afternoon.
SafetyTwo-Factor Authentication, Explained: Codes, Apps and Passkeys
A password alone doesn't cut it anymore. Here's what two-factor authentication is, which kind to pick, how passkeys fit in and how to set it up without locking yourself out.
SafetyGot Hacked? What to Do First, Step by Step
Locked out of your account, posts you didn't make, friends getting weird messages from you? Here's what to do first, how to get the account back and how to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Notes from GUNDER CONSTRUCTION
What a website actually is, from GeoCities Dragon Ball pages to vibe codingA website is just a name, an address book, a computer that never turns off and a folder of files. How I went from posting Dragon Ball info on GeoCities and copy-pasting MySpace themes to finally building the sites I always wanted to, and the four pieces every business owner should understand.
Notes from GWHY JOIN THE NAVY?
What it actually means to be a pirate in tech, from Xerox and Napster to NetflixSteve Jobs told the Mac team it was better to be a pirate than to join the Navy. From Xerox's mouse to Napster, burned CDs and sketchy cable box chips, the pirates have always shown up first. What that line actually means, and how to steal the attitude without stealing anything.