https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/Plain-English tech tips from Money Grinding.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/steps-of-service/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/steps-of-service/Mon, 19 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700Every 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/screen-time-parental-controls-guide/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/screen-time-parental-controls-guide/Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700What 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/new-phone-or-laptop-setup-checklist/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/new-phone-or-laptop-setup-checklist/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700Getting 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/ai-is-a-tool-not-a-coworker/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/ai-is-a-tool-not-a-coworker/Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700Everybody'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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/the-fix-is-the-easy-part/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/the-fix-is-the-easy-part/Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0700Anybody 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/frozen-app-ctrl-alt-delete-force-quit/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/frozen-app-ctrl-alt-delete-force-quit/Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700The 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/command-c-vs-control-c/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/command-c-vs-control-c/Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700Same 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/keyboard-shortcuts-worth-learning/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/keyboard-shortcuts-worth-learning/Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700Reaching 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/back-up-your-phone-and-computer/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/back-up-your-phone-and-computer/Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700Lost 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/fix-slow-home-wifi/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/fix-slow-home-wifi/Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0700Buffering, 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/spot-a-tech-support-scam/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/spot-a-tech-support-scam/Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:00:00 -0700Scary 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/reddit-explained/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/reddit-explained/Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:00:00 -0700Reddit 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/the-great-digg-migration/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/the-great-digg-migration/Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:00 -0700In 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/meme-history/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/meme-history/Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:00:00 -0700Before 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/aol-chat-rooms-and-parental-controls/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/aol-chat-rooms-and-parental-controls/Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0700Everyone 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/how-the-instagram-algorithm-works/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/how-the-instagram-algorithm-works/Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0700Thirty 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/facebook-history-and-what-its-good-for/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/facebook-history-and-what-its-good-for/Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0700Everybody 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/think-different-steve-jobs/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/think-different-steve-jobs/Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0700A 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/visual-identity/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/visual-identity/Thu, 02 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0700Rainbow 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/the-sauce/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/the-sauce/Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0700Consistency 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/four-burners/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/four-burners/Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0700The 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/google-business-setup/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/google-business-setup/Thu, 11 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0700Your 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/password-managers-explained/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/password-managers-explained/Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0700Reusing 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/two-factor-authentication-guide/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/two-factor-authentication-guide/Thu, 28 May 2026 08:00:00 -0700A 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/what-to-do-if-you-get-hacked/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/what-to-do-if-you-get-hacked/Thu, 21 May 2026 08:00:00 -0700Locked 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/what-is-a-website/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/what-is-a-website/Thu, 14 May 2026 08:00:00 -0700A 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.https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/why-join-the-navy/https://m1ygrndn.com/tips/why-join-the-navy/Thu, 07 May 2026 08:00:00 -0700Steve 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.