Why I replaced my $249 AirPods Pro with $19 wired EarPods | Mashable

September 11, 2025September 10, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Google came for the wired it girls at its Made by Google showcase last month. The tech giant played a sponsored episode of Kareem Rahma’s SubwayTakes talk show during the event, in which Rahma and his fellow comedian Amber Singletary ripped on wired earbuds for looking “sloppy,” “dumb,” and “not cool.”

“The only thing they [wired earbuds] do is get tangled,” Rahma said, speaking into a corded mic, to which Singletary replied, also into a corded mic, “Yeah, they get tangled and now you look stupid.”

Someone in SubwayTakes’ Instagram comments section said it best: “Wow, this is the easiest disagree ever.” I firmly believe that wired earphones are actually good and worth using in 2025, at least when it comes to Apple’s iconic EarPods.

A scalding hot ‘sand battery’ is now heating a small Finnish town | Live Science

September 9, 2025September 8, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A small municipality in southern Finland recently installed the world’s largest “sand battery” to supply the town’s heating.

The new sand battery, designed by Polar Night Energy, is effectively a giant sandpit encased in a roughly 100 by 40 foot (30 by 12 meter) steel container.

The sand is heated using closed-loop heat transfer pipes, and this heat is trapped by two layers of steel sandwiching an insulation layer. The energy is then extracted by blowing cool air through the pipes, capturing the heat to generate hot water, steam, or hot air.

Cognitive Overload Symptoms: 15 Warning Signs & Solutions

September 8, 2025September 7, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Picture this: You’re on a video call, nodding along while secretly checking emails, mentally calculating if you have enough pasta for dinner, and half-listening to your kids arguing about whose turn it is on the iPad. Sound familiar? You’re not alone and you’re not imagining that life feels more overwhelming than ever. These are classic cognitive overload symptoms that millions experience daily.

Here’s why: Back in 2008, researchers found Americans were already processing 34GB of information daily. Today? We’re swimming in an estimated 75-100GB of data every single day. That’s like downloading your entire brain’s storage capacity, twice. Our digital interactions have exploded from 298 daily touches in 2010 to a mind-boggling 4,909 expected by 2025. We’re consuming 105,000 words daily, roughly 23 words per second during every waking hour.

Your brain wasn’t designed for this. It’s like running fifty browser tabs on a computer built for dial-up internet. The result? Cognitive overload and it’s wreaking havoc on your focus, health, and happiness. In this article, I’ll walk you through the 15 warning signs of cognitive overload your brain is experiencing and share science-backed solutions to reclaim your mental clarity.

Motivation vs Discipline: Why One Always Beats the Other (And It’s Not What You Think) | LifeHack

September 8, 2025September 7, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The alarm goes off at 5 AM. My hand hovers over the snooze button, and for a split second, I’m back to that old familiar battle. The bed feels impossibly warm, especially on these cold mornings. My two sons won’t be up for another two hours. Every fiber of my being whispers, “Just ten more minutes.” But here’s the thing—I don’t wait for motivation to strike anymore. I swing my legs out of bed anyway.

This morning ritual has taught me something profound about success, both as a CEO and as a father. We’ve all been sold this idea that we need to feel motivated before we act. That we should wait for that surge of inspiration, that perfect moment when everything clicks. Meanwhile, life passes by while we’re still hitting snooze, waiting for a feeling that might never come. This is the fundamental flaw in the motivation vs discipline debate.

8 Ways ChatGPT Can Make You a Better Writer | AllBusiness.com

September 4, 2025September 3, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Writing can often feel like an intimidating endeavor, presenting the complex challenge of balancing multiple competing objectives. The craft demands a delicate nuance: one must sound professional yet authentic, creative yet clear, distinctive yet accessible. The process can seem overwhelming, particularly when faced with a blank page and the pressure of deadlines.

ChatGPT has emerged as a sophisticated writing companion, offering comprehensive support across the various stages of the writing process. Consider it a multifaceted tool that functions simultaneously as a brainstorming assistant, editor, idea generator, and writing coach.

This article, which uses research assistance from ChatGPT, will explore eight compelling strategies through which ChatGPT can transform your writing experience. We aim to address the inherent challenges of the writing process and demonstrate how technological assistance can make writing not just more manageable, but potentially more engaging and productive. Our goal is to illuminate the ways in which writers can leverage this innovative tool while maintaining their own voices and originality.

Smart Strategies to Improve Your Time Management (With Help From ChatGPT) | AllBusiness.com

September 4, 2025September 3, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Time management is a crucial skill that can influence productivity, reduce stress, and help individuals achieve their personal and professional goals. The ability to manage time effectively allows you to make the most of your day and avoid the overwhelming feeling of tasks piling up. Without a strategic approach to managing your time, it’s easy to become distracted, procrastinate, or lose sight of your long-term objectives.

In today’s fast-paced world, where work demands and personal commitments seem to grow every day, mastering time management is more important than ever. Effective time management doesn’t necessarily mean doing more things; rather, it’s about prioritizing tasks, focusing on what matters most, and eliminating distractions. With the right strategies, anyone can transform their approach to time management and start achieving their goals more efficiently.

This article will outline 6 practical tips to improve your time management, followed by a look at how ChatGPT can help optimize your workflow. These strategies, backed by both traditional time management principles and modern tools and developed with the research assistance of ChatGPT, can make a big difference in how you approach your day and manage your commitments.

How to Write a Job Description: Expert Tips and Free Templates | Small Biz Trends

September 3, 2025September 2, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Crafting an effective job description is crucial for small business owners seeking to attract and retain the right talent. A well-written job description not only serves as a communication tool between employers and job seekers but also helps streamline the hiring process and ensures that candidates understand their roles and responsibilities.

This article will guide you through the process of creating a compelling job description template to make your hiring process smoother and more efficient.

Cyber Security Risks That Threaten Businesses | Business

September 2, 2025September 1, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If your business depends on computer systems to operate, you need to understand the cyber risks you face and how they can impact your company. A cyberattack could leave you financially responsible for consumer losses and significantly impair your business operations for days or even weeks. In this article, we explain the different types of cyber risks and what you can do to reduce them.

What is cyber risk?

Cyber risk is the threat of data loss, property destruction, or ransom demands resulting from a hack of your company’s information technology (IT) systems. Cyberattacks can result in financial loss or disruption to your business. They can also harm your brand’s reputation if consumers don’t feel their information is secure with your organization.

How Telematics Systems Improve Business Fleets | Business

September 2, 2025September 1, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Telematics technology is becoming a staple among businesses that use fleets of vehicles and heavy machinery. Telematics is more than just GPS tracking; it’s tech that offers you a gold mine of data. You can use that data to improve your bottom line and run your business and worksite more efficiently. The best telematics systems keep track of dozens of aspects and components, allowing you to build an improvement plan for your worksite.

The combination of GPS, monitoring systems, and a data-gathering interface makes up modern telematics systems. This allows you to keep track of individual vehicles when they’re out in the field. Not only is it smart to know where your vehicles are at all times, but you’ll also have a complete history of the fleet’s journey. Diagnostics allow you to monitor the status of machinery, whether or not it’s on-site.