Make Mesmerizing Marbled Art in Your Browser

Make Mesmerizing Marbled Art in Your Browser

Paint Toys Marbling turns your web browser into a virtual tray of floating ink. Drop colors onto the canvas, drag a digital comb through them, and save the resulting artwork without installing an app or creating an account.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 31, 2026

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Traditional paper marbling can produce beautiful patterns, but it also requires paint, water, trays, paper, and a workspace you do not mind getting messy.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Create colorful marbled artwork without making a mess.

Paint Toys Marbling recreates the most satisfying parts of that process inside a web browser. 

You add drops of virtual ink to a simulated water surface and then pull a comb through the colors to form waves, feathers, curls, and flowing bands.

There is no complicated toolbar to learn. The intentionally simple interface encourages you to click, drag, experiment, clear the canvas, and try again.

Why You Should Install iOS 26.6 Now

Why You Should Install iOS 26.6 Now

iOS 26.6 may not deliver a collection of flashy new tools, but it includes important security fixes and system improvements. The update also optimizes Spotlight search in preparation for iOS 27.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 30, 2026

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Not every worthwhile iPhone update changes the Home Screen or adds a feature you can immediately try.

Some updates work quietly in the background, repairing security weaknesses, fixing software problems, and preparing your device for what comes next. 

That is exactly what Apple is doing with iOS 26.6.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Update to iOS 26.6 Now to Protect Your iPhone and Prepare Spotlight for iOS 27.

iOS 26.6 includes bug fixes, security updates, and an optimization of the Spotlight index in preparation for iOS 27.

Windows 11 Screen Tint Makes Bright Screens Easier on the Eyes

Windows 11 Screen Tint Makes Bright Screens Easier on the Eyes

Bright screens are not always a brightness problem. Sometimes the intensity of modern apps, websites, and documents is what leaves your eyes feeling tired after a long day.

Windows 11's new Screen Tint accessibility feature offers another way to improve screen comfort by applying a customizable color overlay across the entire display. Availability may vary depending on your Windows version and rollout status.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 29, 2026

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After eight hours of email, spreadsheets, Teams meetings, web browsing, and document editing, many people reach for the brightness controls. 

The problem is that brightness is not always what's causing the discomfort.

Here's a Cool Tip: Customize your screen's comfort level with Screen Tint.

Microsoft's new Screen Tint feature for Windows 11 takes a different approach. Instead of simply dimming the display, it adds a customizable color overlay designed to make bright screens feel less visually intense during long work sessions. 

The feature is intended to help users who experience eye fatigue, light sensitivity, or general visual discomfort from bright displays.

Screen Tint joins other Windows accessibility tools designed to make computing more comfortable, but it fills a unique gap between Night Light and Color Filters.

Lockout Backup: Access Your Google Account With a Selfie Video

Lockout Backup: Access Your Google Account With a Selfie Video

Google launched a selfie video verification method to help users regain access to locked accounts when standard recovery devices are unavailable. By recording guided head movements, account owners can store an encrypted facial verification baseline to verify their identity in emergency situations.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 28, 2026

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Getting locked out of a primary digital account can stall an entire workday or disrupt personal travel plans. 

Passwords can be forgotten, smartphones can be misplaced during travel, and secondary authentication hardware isn't always within reach. 

Here’s a Cool Tip: Set up Google selfie Video Verification.

Google recently introduced a modern backup option designed to resolve account access emergencies: selfie video verification.

This backup mechanism provides a secure alternative when primary devices, passkeys, or recovery codes aren't available. 

Rather than relying solely on static phone numbers or secondary email addresses, users can record a short video of their face while moving their head in guided directions.

Put Google's Always-On AI Agent to Work

Put Google's Always-On AI Agent to Work

Google is expanding availability of Gemini Spark, its background AI agent that handles continuous tasks across apps. Users can now automate multi-step workflows without leaving browser tabs open or waiting for manual prompts.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 27, 2026

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Managing repetitive digital administrative tasks eats away at productive hours every week. 

Tracking down action items from email threads, summarizing meeting notes, and updating spreadsheets manually drains focus from creative or strategic work.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Put Gemini Spark to work on recurring background tasks.  Access is now expanding to AI Pro and Ultra users. 

Google launched Gemini Spark to tackle this persistent friction. 

Spark acts as a personal AI agent that runs continuously in the cloud, carrying out background workflows even when your computer is closed or your smartphone is locked. 

As Google broadens access to this background assistant, automating daily work routines becomes far more practical for everyday users.

How to Organize Your Web Browser with Chrome Vertical Tabs

How to Organize Your Web Browser with Chrome Vertical Tabs

Google Chrome now lets you arrange open tabs along the side of your screen instead of crowding them across the top. Moving your tabs vertically keeps full page titles visible and helps you manage large research projects without losing your place.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 26, 2026

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Opening dozens of browser tabs during a busy workday used to turn your tab bar into a row of tiny, unreadable icons. 

Squinting at tiny favicons to figure out which page holds your spreadsheet or research document drains focus and slows down your momentum. 

Modern widescreen monitors offer plenty of side-to-side space, yet traditional browser layouts compress tabs horizontally until the title text disappears completely.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Switch Chrome to Vertical Tabs.

Google introduced native vertical tabs to help solve this daily workspace clutter. 

By shifting your tab layout to a vertical column on the side of your window, you can read full page titles, organize tab groups, and reclaim vertical screen space for reading websites.

Stop Wasting Time Re-Uploading Sources With Gemini Notebook Auto-Sync

Stop Wasting Time Re-Uploading Sources With Gemini Notebook Auto-Sync

Google recently rebranded NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook and introduced automatic syncing for Google Drive documents. This update means your AI workspace always reflects the latest versions of your files without manual intervention.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 25, 2026

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Keeping track of multiple document versions while researching often leads to frustrating mistakes. 

You might outline a project in a Google Doc, upload it to your AI assistant for analysis, and then make further edits to the original file. 

In the past, those edits meant you had to manually delete the old file from your workspace and upload the new one just to ask questions about your latest changes.

Here is a Cool Tip: Connect your Google Drive documents to Gemini Notebook for automatic updates.

In May 2026, the company added automatic Google Drive syncing to the tool. 

Then, on July 16, 2026, Google officially renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook. 

This rebrand brings the tool deeper into the Google ecosystem. 

The combination of a new identity and background syncing makes the research process much faster.

Paint Abstract AI Masterpieces With Google Splash Canvas

Paint Abstract AI Masterpieces With Google Splash Canvas

Create digital masterpieces using playful sea creatures as your paintbrushes. Google Arts and Culture Splash Canvas brings fluid physics and artificial intelligence together for a highly interactive creative experience.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 24, 2026

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Digital painting tools often feel sterile and overly technical. 

Staring at a blank digital canvas with a massive toolbar of brushes can intimidate even an experienced artist. 

Here's a Cool Tip: Turn sea creatures into digital paintbrushes.

Google Arts and Culture recently introduced a web experiment that changes the atmosphere entirely. 

Splash Canvas turns your web browser into an interactive studio filled with opinionated sea creatures. 

Instead of selecting a standard brush, you drag an animated octopus or squid across the screen. 

These characters bring the canvas to life with realistic fluid physics, synthesizing sounds as you create.

Listen Together: Windows 11 Shared Audio Explained

Listen Together: Windows 11 Shared Audio Explained

Learn how Windows 11 Shared Audio allows compatible PCs to share audio with two Bluetooth LE Audio devices, making listening together easier.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 22, 2026

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Whether you're traveling with a friend, studying with a classmate, or reviewing content with a client, sharing audio from a laptop has traditionally involved compromises. 

Most PCs connect audio to a single Bluetooth device at a time, leaving users searching for splitters, adapters, or awkward workarounds.

Here's a Cool Tip: Share One Audio Stream with Two Listeners Using Windows 11 Shared Audio.

Microsoft recently released an update with Shared Audio, a Windows 11 feature designed for compatible devices that support Bluetooth LE Audio. 

The feature allows users to broadcast the same audio stream to two supported listening devices from a single PC.

For people who frequently share videos, music, presentations, or training content, it offers a more convenient way to listen together without additional accessories.

Automate Complex Forms with Chrome and Google Wallet

Automate Complex Forms with Chrome and Google Wallet

Typing lengthy identification numbers into web forms is frustrating and prone to errors. Google Chrome now integrates directly with Google Wallet to safely populate complex data like passport numbers and vehicle information on your mobile and desktop devices.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 21, 2026

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Booking an international flight to a destination like London often involves a frantic search for your physical passport. 

You find the booklet, prop it open, and carefully type a long string of alphanumeric characters into the airline website, hoping you did not transpose any letters. 

This manual data entry process is tedious and slows down routine online tasks like event check-ins or paying parking fees. 

Here is a Cool Tip: Connect Google Chrome to Google Wallet to Automatically Fill Your Most Complex Web Forms.

Google recently addressed this friction by updating how the Chrome browser interacts with stored data.

Turn Big Projects Into Finished Work With ChatGPT

Turn Big Projects Into Finished Work With ChatGPT

ChatGPT Work gives complicated assignments a dedicated workspace where source files, research, instructions, and revisions remain connected. Powered by the GPT-5.6 model family on eligible plans, it can help produce documents, spreadsheets, presentations, reports, analyses, and, on supported web and desktop experiences, interactive Sites.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 20, 2026

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A regular ChatGPT conversation works well when you need an answer, an explanation, or a quick draft.

The experience becomes less efficient when an assignment involves several files, multiple research steps, a required template, outside services, revisions, and a finished document that must be ready to share.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use ChatGPT Work.

ChatGPT Work is designed for those larger assignments. 

Instead of treating every request as another conversational response, Work can research a topic, analyze information, create editable files, follow reference material, and move through a multi-step workflow while you review its progress.

Users can answer questions, redirect the assignment, and approve important actions while Work proceeds. 

It can also handle scheduled or recurring tasks when those capabilities are available to the account.

Watch YouTube With Fewer Ads

Watch YouTube With Fewer Ads

DuckDuckGo’s free browser can now block most advertisements that play before and during YouTube videos. You can continue using the familiar YouTube website without installing a separate ad-blocking extension or paying for a subscription.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 19, 2026

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You open YouTube to watch a quick tutorial, product review, or news clip. Before the video begins, an advertisement appears. Another interruption arrives halfway through.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Watch YouTube with Fewer Ad Interruptions in DuckDuckGo.

DuckDuckGo now offers a free alternative for people who watch YouTube in a web browser. 

Its built-in YouTube Ad Blocking feature blocks most video advertisements that appear before and during videos.

DuckDuckGo introduced the feature on July 8, 2026. It is available in the company’s browser for Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android. No DuckDuckGo account or paid subscription is required.

There is one important limitation: You must watch YouTube through the DuckDuckGo browser. 

The feature does not work inside the native YouTube app on a phone or tablet.

Make Your Drive Quieter and Smarter With New Waze AI Features

Make Your Drive Quieter and Smarter With New Waze AI Features

Waze is adding powerful Gemini AI capabilities to customize your commute, minimize interruptions, and improve route accuracy. Learn how to activate these new features for a calmer, smarter driving experience.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 18, 2026

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Driving through city traffic is stressful enough without your navigation app talking over your favorite playlist or missing your preferred shortcut. 

We all have specific driving habits, and a single navigation approach often falls short. 

Here is a Cool Tip: Upgrade Your Daily Commute with the Newest Gemini Features in Waze.

Waze is addressing these common frustrations by rolling out a suite of intelligent updates designed to adapt to how you actually drive and ride.

Play Thousands of Classic Games in Your Web Browser

Play Thousands of Classic Games in Your Web Browser

ArcadeSpace.org lets you explore thousands of classic video games through a browser-based emulator, without downloading separate emulation software. Search for an old favorite, start playing, and rediscover an earlier generation of game design.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 17, 2026

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Playing an old video game often requires more work than people expect.

You may need to find an emulator, configure its controls, locate compatible game files, and determine which settings work with your computer. That is a lot of preparation when you simply want to revisit a game you remember.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Turn your Browser into a Retro Arcade with ArcadeSpace.org.

ArcadeSpace.org organizes classic games by platform and category, then runs supported titles through an emulator inside your web browser. 

Arcade Space says its catalog includes thousands of games that can be accessed without installing a separate emulator.

The site is particularly appealing to casual players who want to sample older games without building a dedicated retro gaming system.

Simplify an iPhone with Assistive Access

Simplify an iPhone with Assistive Access

Assistive Access replaces the standard iPhone interface with larger controls, selected apps, and fewer onscreen choices. A family member or trusted supporter can customize the experience around the needs of the person using the phone.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 16, 2026

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An iPhone can be difficult to use when its Home Screen is crowded with apps, buttons are hard to identify, or too many choices appear at once.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Create a Simpler, More Focused iPhone.

Assistive Access offers a different approach. Instead of expecting someone to adapt to the standard iPhone interface, it lets a trusted supporter simplify the phone around that person’s needs.

The user can see a small selection of essential apps, larger buttons, recognizable contact photos, and fewer distractions. Calling and messaging can also be limited to trusted contacts.

Assistive Access is designed primarily for people with cognitive disabilities. 

It is not simply a larger Home Screen or a general-purpose “senior mode,” although some older adults may benefit when cognitive load is a concern. 

Apple introduced the feature with iOS 17 and continues to document it for iOS 26.

Windows 11's New Point-in-Time Restore Can Save Hours of Recovery

Windows 11's New Point-in-Time Restore Can Save Hours of Recovery

Windows 11's new Point-in-Time Restore feature can help you recover from bad updates, driver problems, and software mistakes without rebuilding an entire PC. If something breaks, you may be able to roll back to a previous working state in minutes instead of spending hours troubleshooting.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 15, 2026

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One bad driver update or software installation can turn a perfectly good PC into a troubleshooting project.

For years, Windows users have relied on backups, system images, or the aging System Restore feature when something went wrong. 

Here's a Cool Tip: Update Windows with the July 2026 Update for Point-in-Time Restore.

Microsoft is now introducing a more modern recovery approach called Point-in-Time Restore, a built-in Windows 11 capability designed to help users recover from software problems more quickly.

Point-in-Time Restore can restore apps, settings, and local user files captured in an available restore point. 

The goal is simple: reduce downtime and help users recover from problems without resorting to a full reinstall.

GPT Live Makes ChatGPT Voice Feel More Natural

GPT Live Makes ChatGPT Voice Feel More Natural

GPT Live makes talking with ChatGPT feel less like issuing voice commands and more like having a flowing conversation. It listens while it speaks, handles interruptions more naturally, and can draw on search and reasoning tools without ending the conversation.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 14, 2026

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Have you ever paused while talking to ChatGPT, only to have it assume you were finished and start answering?

That awkward rhythm has long separated AI voice assistants from real conversations. 

Most voice systems wait for silence, process what you said, and then respond. 

Even ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode primarily worked through distinct conversational turns.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Switch ChatGPT Voice to Live for more natural conversations.

GPT Live changes that pattern.

Introduced by OpenAI on July 8, 2026, GPT Live uses a full-duplex audio architecture. 

In plain English, it can listen and speak at the same time. 

That allows it to handle interruptions, brief pauses, corrections, and quick follow-up questions more naturally.

Stop Losing Your Place in Large Excel Spreadsheets

Stop Losing Your Place in Large Excel Spreadsheets

Microsoft Excel's Focus Cell feature highlights your active row and column, making large spreadsheets easier to read and navigate. If you regularly enter data, review reports, or analyze tables, this simple tool can help reduce mistakes and improve accuracy.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 13, 2026

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If you've ever worked in a spreadsheet with hundreds or thousands of rows, you've probably lost track of where you are. 

One misplaced click can leave you reading the wrong row, updating the wrong record, or comparing the wrong numbers.

Here's a Cool Tip: Turn on Focus Cell Before Working with Large Spreadsheets.

Instead of forcing your eyes to trace across a busy worksheet, Excel highlights both the active row and the active column, making your current position much easier to follow.

It is a small addition, but for anyone who spends time in large spreadsheets, it can make everyday work noticeably easier.

Throwback: How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Paint

How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Paint

Make Microsoft Paint easier on your eyes with Dark Mode! In just a few clicks, you can switch Paint’s bright interface to a sleek dark theme that's perfect for working at night and reducing eye strain. Learn how to enable this hidden productivity boost in Windows 11.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 8, 2026 (Originally published September 6, 2023)

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Do you find yourself squinting at your screen at night while using Microsoft Paint? 

If so, you're not alone. 

The light-colored interface can be harsh on the eyes, especially in low-light conditions.

Here's a Cool Tip:  Set MS Paint to the New Dark Mode in Windows 11

Master Your Investments With the New Google Finance App and AI Tools

Master Your Investments With the New Google Finance App and AI Tools

Google Finance is rolling out powerful portfolio tracking tools and a brand new Android app. Discover how custom AI briefings and smart insights can help you make better financial decisions.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 7, 2026

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Keeping track of multiple investments across different platforms often leads to frustration. 

Here is a Cool Tip: Automate Your Morning Market Research With The New Google Finance.

Google Finance recently updated its platform to solve the problem by consolidating your financial data and introducing smart analysis tools. 

With a new dedicated Android app and AI research features moving out of beta, managing your money is now much simpler. 

Whether you need a daily crypto briefing or a breakdown of your asset allocation, these updates offer significant value.

The New LinkedIn Features That Can Help You Get Found Faster

The New LinkedIn Features That Can Help You Get Found Faster

LinkedIn has quietly evolved from a digital résumé into a powerful platform for networking, content creation, professional visibility, and career growth. New AI-powered search, enhanced analytics, video tools, and verification features could help job seekers and professionals stand out in a crowded market.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

July 6, 2026

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If you think of LinkedIn as little more than an online résumé, you may be surprised by how much the platform has changed over the past year.

Here's a Cool Tip: Use LinkedIn's New AI Search to Find Better Opportunities.

LinkedIn has been adding new AI-powered discovery tools, deeper content analytics, video enhancements, creator features, and expanded verification options. 

These updates are designed to help professionals find better opportunities, build credibility, and better understand what content is driving engagement. 

LinkedIn continues to expand conversational AI search, content analytics, video experiences, creator tools, and verification capabilities.

Whether you're searching for a new job, growing a business, building a personal brand, or recruiting talent, these updates may help you work smarter and increase your visibility.