Most AI-safety talk is either sci-fi or “just be careful.” Neither helps when you’re a solopreneur living in Gmail, Canva, ChatGPT, and your phone. Fast Company’s Kevin Lewis — career “computer guy,” security mindset — puts it simply: researchers are sounding alarms about bigger AI systems, but the useful move this week is four habits, not a bunker. 1. Shrink your digital footprint. Unused apps still request permissions. Quizzes, “sign in with Google,” voice history, and prompt logs all feed profiles. Delete what you don’t use. Review what the keepers can see. Opt out of extra collection where the toggle exists. 2. Treat consumer chatbots like a public room. If you wouldn’t forward it to a stranger at a conference, don’t paste it into a free model that trains on chats. Client names, invoices, health notes, drafts with real addresses — leave them out. Privacy-leaning options (Lewis flags Proton and Duck.ai) are a better default than “whatever’s free and clever.” 3. Don’t trust polish. Phishing didn’t die. It got a copy editor and a voice clone. Urgent + money + “don’t tell anyone” is still the tell. Call or text the person on a number you already have. Never use the number or link in the message. 4. The boring stuff still wins. Password manager. Passkeys. 2FA that isn’t SMS if you can avoid it. Account recovery you actually control. AI-enabled scams work because the account was weak, not because the model was magic. You don’t have to quit AI. You have to stop feeding it your life and stop believing every well-written ping. This week’s 15-minute challenge: Pick one phone or one laptop. Uninstall three unused apps. Open permissions. Turn off anything that isn’t required for the app to work. Then look at one AI tool you use and check training / history / memory settings. Drop in comments: which of the four is your weakest link right now — footprint, chatbot overshare, fake messages, or basic account lock-down? Stay sharp. Stay local. Stay in control of what you hand over.

First, name the 2–3 features you actually use every week, then pick the cheapest phone that delivers them. Everything else is theater. Use this filter: 1. Camera is how you make money (Reels, client photos, product shots, local video) Stay on a Pro / Pro Max unless you’ve already tested that the Duo’s dual-Fusion setup is enough for your work. Foldables historically compromise the telephoto. Don’t assume “newest = best camera.” 2. You live in two apps at once (email + calendar, notes + browser, Zoom + doc, script + reference) The Duo’s inner screen + iOS Split View is the actual product. That’s the only honest reason to spend the extra ~$700 over an 18 Pro Max. If you never split-screen today, you probably won’t start because the hinge exists. 3. Battery and pocket matter more than the demo video Air is the thin/light play. Pro Max is still the “I leave the house for 14 hours and shoot video” play. Duo claims strong video-playback numbers (inner vs outer display), but first-gen foldables always have durability and case/folio tax. Budget the $79 case or $129 folio and AppleCare+. 4. You’re upgrading from a 15 or older A current 17 or 17 Pro is often the highest-ROI move. You get modern Apple Intelligence / Siri AI access, a better camera than what you’re carrying, and you avoid first-year foldable pricing and first-year crease/hinge stories. The 18 Pro bump is real but incremental for a lot of people. 5. Cash flow, not prestige $1,999 is a MacBook-class outlay. If that money would buy a better mic, lighting, a second body for video, or three months of ads, the Duo is a hobby purchase, not a business purchase. Lease only if you already treat phones as a 24-month tool and you’re okay not owning it. The “don’t lose your mind” shopping order 1. Write down: screen size you actually hold, camera jobs you bill for, battery days you travel, and max you’ll spend including case + AppleCare. 2. Decide slab vs fold before you look at colors. 3. Buy the lowest storage that won’t fill up in 18 months (256GB is tight if you shoot 4K and keep local files).

A short guide from a lesson saved to pdf.

Here is a breakdown of the Google Workspace updates from September 4, 2026, and what they mean for your workflow. Google Meet: Eliminating Friction in Collaboration - One-Click Co-Presenting: Gemini now intelligently suggests co-presenters within the "Ask Gemini in Meet" panel. With a single click, you can grant slide control to a colleague. It removes the clunky, multi-step handoffs that usually disrupt the flow of presentations. - Android Transition & MS Teams Interoperability: Meet room hardware is transitioning from ChromeOS to Android (AOSP) to speed up feature deployment and broaden device choices (with ChromeOS support continuing through September 2030). More importantly, built-in interoperability between Google Meet and Microsoft Teams on Android devices is now in Early Preview. This is a pragmatic acknowledgment of the multi-platform reality most organizations face. Creative Workflow: Media and Automation - Google Pics GA: Google Pics is now generally available, bringing object-based AI image generation and editing directly into the Workspace creative pipeline. This reduces the need to jump to external design tools for quick asset creation. - Google Vids Document Summaries: You can now drop a Google Doc, PDF, or Word file into Google Vids and have it auto-generate a video summary, complete with an AI script, narration, and custom visuals. It is a compelling shift in how we consume static documentation. - Workspace Studio Upgrades: Four new automation steps are live: Move Drive file, Copy Drive file, Send a Chat reply, and Reply to email. These additions make it easier to build end-to-end, cross-app automation without leaving the ecosystem. Persistent Intelligence - Expanded Custom Gemini Instructions: The persistent custom instructions we previously utilized in Google Docs are expanding to additional Workspace surfaces. This means the AI can maintain consistent contextual awareness of our specific style and guidelines across multiple apps, rather than requiring a hard reset with every new prompt.

**Phishing doesn’t look “fake” anymore.** AI-polished emails, professional branding, QR codes, and even *real* Microsoft login flows now steal credentials, session tokens, and money—especially from Windows users. PCWorld’s August 4, 2026 guide (Arne Arnold) lists **seven current high-risk patterns** and how to shut them down. ### The 7 scams to watch 1. **Microsoft 365 / OAuth device-code trap** — Message says your session expired. Link or QR code leads to a real Microsoft device-login flow. You think you’re re-authorizing *your* device; you’re authorizing the attacker’s app. They get an access token and can bypass 2FA. 2. **Fake support (“your PC is locked”)** — Phone, email, Signal, or browser pop-up posing as Microsoft (or Signal) support. Goal: remote-access software or a PIN. High-profile example: German politicians hit via Signal. 3. **Fake Microsoft Defender warning** — Email or browser pop-up saying protection expired and you must *pay* to renew. Defender is built into Windows and free. Close the tab (Alt+F4 if needed). 4. **OneDrive / “document shared with you”** — Work-looking share of invoices, pay stubs, or project files. Mix of real cloud platforms and fake docs. Goal: steal cloud/email logins, then use your account to phish others. 5. **Delivery / parcel phishing** — Fake tracking pages (“delivery failed—confirm address,” last-chance reschedule). Time pressure + everyday context. Victims hand over shopping/payment logins or pay fake fees. 6. **Banking phishing** — Fake “confirm mobile number,” Photo-TAN / photoTAN “update,” or certificate reactivation. Never click bank links in email. Open the bank site yourself or call the official number. 7. **Postal / Postident credit fraud** — Real letter in your mailbox asking you to “re-confirm” identity via Postident. Often follows data stolen from fake rental listings. Victims have authorized large loans ($15k–$25k typical). ### Fast recognition checklist - Unsolicited contact about money, logins, or “urgent” account issues