October Tech Tips

A way to combat iPhone spam and some ways to save a few minutes every day.

Oct 22, 2024 2-min read

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This post originally ran on my now-retired Substack.

Way back in the 80s and 90s, we used to buy software. Starting in the early aughts, though, Salesforce and other software vendors realized that they could make more money by renting us the same applications. Now, software as a service (SaaS) is standard.

Today, try and buy a program. It’s not easy. Once.com from the folks at 37signals is swimming against the stream.

Bucking the Trend

A few days ago, GoDaddy sent me a note that it was time to renew Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). Paying $25/month for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint seemed excessive, so I started digging. I found cheaper monthly alternatives, but the pièce de résistance was a lifetime M365 subscription for $249. Sold.

iPhone Spam Prevention

It’s easy to fall down the automation rabbit hole.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac users often neglect to use Apple’s default automations. Big mistake. The Shortcuts app is insanely powerful. You can create mini apps sans any coding experience. In the first few minutes of the video below, rock star Stephen Robles explains how to auto-unsubscribe from spam.

As I write in The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace, it’s easy to fall down the automation rabbit hole. Here is a shortcut I tweaked that automatically sends people in your Contacts app birthday notifications. (Maybe it’s a bit impersonal, but we live in an era in which AI is breaking up with humans.)

Also, I’ve got a crazy shortcut that shoots a iPad screenshot of Wordle, Connections, and other NY Times games to my friends. All told, shortcuts save me about five minutes per day or 30 hours per year. #geek

I’d be shocked if there weren’t Android equivalents.

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